Ionian Islands in Venetian hands since 1238. The islands thus became the only part of the Greek-speaking world to escape Ottoman rule, which gave them both a unity and an importance in Greek history they would otherwise not have had. Corfu was the only Greek island never conquered by the Turks. Under Venetian rule, many of the upper classes spoke Italian (or Venetian in some cases) and converted to Roman Catholicism, but the majority remained Greek ethnically, linguistically, and religiously. In the 18th century, a Greek national independence movement began to emerge, and the free status of the Ionian islands made them
Albanian Ionian Sea Coast the Adriatic Sea, the Ionian Sea is now seen as a separate body of water. Traditionally, the region represents the most valuable tourist resource for the country, especially due to the unspoilt natural and cultural beauty expressed in the region's architecture, cuisine and tradition. Its most considerable attraction is the ancient city of Butrint, that is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, because it provides valuable remains of ancient civilizations. The region is populated by more than 50.000 people with the largest city being the seaport city of Sarandë, one of the most appreciated tourist destinations in the Ionian