Zante (Zakynthos): what to see in the Ionian capital

Par Gabriel Goldberg 27 July 2026 13 min read

At the end of a long journey through Paxos , Kalamos , Kastos , Lefkada , Ithaca , Fiskardo and Assos , the last stop was Zante (Ζάκυνθος, Zakynthos), the southernmost of the seven Ionian islands and probably the most urban. The Venetians called it "Fior di Levante" — the Flower of the Levant — for the mildness of its climate, the richness of its vineyards and the elegance of its palaces. The city was flattened by the earthquake of 12 August 1953 , then rebuilt identically in the 1960s, neoclassical façades and campaniles included. Here is one evening spent wandering between three spectacular churches, Solomos Square, Alexandrou Roma street and two tables that are worth the journey on their own. Cream and pink Byzantine façade of the Agios Dionysios cathedral in Zante at dusk: three-arched porch on marble columns, central rose window, cross on the summit, full moon shining to the left of the pediment, lit palm trees in the foreground and a scooter passing on the seafront boulevard. Zante, "Fior di Levante": a brief history of an Ionian capital Zakynthos (ancient and current Greek name) or Zante (Venetian-Italian name, still widely used in Western Europe) is the third-largest Ionian island after Kefalonia and Corfu. Under Venetian rule from 1484 to 1797 , it formed — with Corfu, Kefalonia, Ithaca , Lefkada, Kythira and Paxos — the Stato da Mar of the Serenissima. This long Latin period explains the presence, alongside Orthodox churches, of a small Catholic community still…