Liston is a pedestrian street with historic buildings between Spianada Square and the historic old center of Corfu Town.
Liston and its surrounding buildings were developed over several decades at the beginning of the 19th century, most of which took place during the French rule in the Ionian Islands (1807 – 1814). The construction took place under the supervision of the French imperial commissioner Mathieu de Lesseps with the help of the Greek engineer Ioannis Parmezan. The Napoleonic-style design was meant to imitate Rue di Rivoli in Paris, with arched ground-floor galleries facing the square. The upper-level floors were added in later years and for a while hosted a hotel where prominent personalities from Greece and abroad stayed on their visits to Corfu.
No one knows for sure where the name Liston exactly comes from, but there are several suggested theories. The most common reference is from the Venetian word “lista” which was a word used for a “wide and straight pedestrian street”. Another theory suggests that the name comes from a list of names of people and families with noble titles that was placed at the beginning of the street and that only those people on the list were allowed to enjoy a walk along Liston.
Nowadays there are several restaurants and cafes on the ground floors of the buildings on Liston, while apartments and offices are located on the upper floors. Liston is considered the heart of the old town and has become a frequent meeting place for locals and tourists.
