For strategic reasons the Venetians captured Kefallinia and Ithaki, as well as the other Ionian Islands, at the beginning of the sixteenth century and held on to them desperately for nearly three hundred years while the Ottoman Turks proceeded to occupy the rest of Greece. Venetian heritage in Kefallinia and Ithaki was, besides two castles that are still worth visiting today, was the superb Renaissance and Baroque style mansions of the noble class and church belltowers.

After Venice fell to Napoleon Bonaparte the islands experienced twelve years of tumultuous occupation, first French, then Russian, then French again before the great powers agreed to the establishment of the United States of the Ionian Islands as a British protectorate . Due to the energetic efforts of the first British governors of Kefallinia this island more than any other Ionian Island experienced the greatest amount of civic construction. This included roads, courthouses, a hospital, and city squares. The final chapter outlines the architecture of the islands with numerous photographs showing traditional details.