Agios Mattheos is 23 kilometres southwest of Corfu town and is set in beautiful woodland on the hillside of the slopes of Mount Gamilios. The village has 1,600 inhabitants whose main income comes from farming and the collection of olives. Another traditional occupation is the cultivation of vineyards, from which they produce the famous kakotrighis wine, a clear, lightly flavoured white wine.

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The village's history goes back to the 16th century when infamous pirate Barbarossa destroyed the village Zigonos situated close to the sea and its inhabitants fled on the mountain for greater protection.

 

It is a picturesque village with narrow, winding whitewashed lanes and many traditional coffee shops and tavernas lining the main road. The village is surrounded by a large and dense forest, where the outlaws of the early 19th century used to hide among the myrtle trees and the heather. A paved road leads to the monastery of Pantokrator and the Grava cave with magnificent views.

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In the outskirts of the village you can visit a working olive mill and buy pure premium olive oil.