Behind the fortified walls of Courti, in Messonghi on the south east coast of Corfu, the main house, the olive press, the stables, the church and the warehouses share one enclosure. A legal document of 1723, the earliest written record of the estate, already shows the same layout. Three centuries later the enclosure is a private wedding estate, and the estate says that whether the guest list is for 20 or 500 it will assist with suggestions.
An estate that kept its layout
Courti began as a working farm, and the estate describes it as typical of Venetian country architecture. For generations it belonged to the Trivoli-Pieri family, members of the local nobility; the family history on the estate’s website begins with an arrival from the Peloponnese in 1450 and a seat on the Corfu council in 1490. The buildings were put up at different times, so the estate cannot give a single date, and it notes evidence that the central buildings are older than the 1723 document. The main house was, in the estate’s words, rather large for the standards of its time.
Michiel Steffano inherited the estate in 1758, when it already had its main house, stables, warehouses, olive press and the church of Eisodion Yperagias Theotokou. The inscription over the main entrance archway records the restoration he carried out in 1770. The property was sold in 1878 to the merchant Christodoulos Kritikos, and in 2010 it changed hands again, when major renovation began on what the estate calls a ruined shell. The restoration followed the guidelines of the Greek Archaeology Supervisory Authority.
The olive press and the church were already part of the estate in 1758, and the fortified walls enclose the same buildings today, restored since 2010.
The chapel, the lawn and the olive press
The estate lists a private chapel among its features, and our record places ceremonies in front of it. The history page names a church, Eisodion Yperagias Theotokou, among the buildings of 1758; the estate does not say whether this is the same building. It also does not say whether civil or legal ceremonies can be held here: ask for that in writing.
The photograph above shows rows of chairs set on a lawn. The estate gives no ceremony capacity for the chapel or the lawn, and no seated figure for any space.
Our record places long wedding dinners in the olive press, which the estate’s events page calls a function room with panoramic views of the estate. The next photograph shows long tables laid in a room with glass walls onto the olive trees; the estate does not say which building that is.
The estate offers an indoor option for up to 120 guests, described as an alternative to hiring a marquee. It is the only guest figure the estate gives for a space, and it is not the same as the guest range: a party of 150 or 300 will need to ask how the day moves indoors if the weather turns.
Guests are shown gathering outdoors in front of the pink buildings, as above. The booking is for the house and its grounds across the nights chosen, and the estate’s cost calculator is built around four inputs: guest numbers, rooms, nights and dates.
What is grown, pressed and cooked on the estate
Courti is an olive estate: the gated grounds cover ten acres of ancient olive groves, and the kitchen draws on them. The estate lists fresh produce daily from its own organic farm, cold pressed organic olive oil from its trees and fruit from its orchards, with everything else bought from suppliers within 5 km. The stay includes an in house cook.
That describes how the estate feeds guests who stay. It is not a wedding catering offer: the estate does not say who caters weddings, what the menus are or whether a tasting is part of the process, and none of that is assumed here.
Nine bedrooms, and the neighbours for everyone else
The estate is hired as a whole, so the wedding party has the house to itself. It has nine bedrooms. The floorplan names the Seaview Suite, the Garden Suite, the Ionian Suite and the Chapel Suite, with the Pergola Room and the Orchard Room alongside, a set of Courti Club rooms on the first floor and a Master Apartment on the second. Around the house there is a 100 square metre infinity pool among the olive trees, a library, a TV room and table tennis tables. Air conditioning runs throughout and wifi reaches the grounds. A concierge and daily maid service are part of the stay.
Nine bedrooms will not sleep a large guest list, and the estate does not give an occupancy for them. For bigger weddings it points to several places to stay within walking distance. Transfers from Corfu airport can be arranged through its taxi partners, and private jet and boat hire on request.
Messonghi and the south east coast
Messonghi sits on the south east coast of Corfu. From its hilltop position the estate looks to the Ionian Sea on one side and inland to the mountains and the Corfiot countryside on the other. The sea is a short walk from the gates, and the golden beaches of the south west are about 15 minutes away. The estate’s own suggestion for guests is Tayo Beach Bar on Halikounas Beach, in a nature reserve that runs alongside Korission Lake, 6 km from the estate. Kite surfing, wind surfing, paddle boarding, horse riding, snorkelling and diving are all listed, as are beach picnics in coves reachable only by sea, and the concierge arranges them.
The estate’s own YouTube channel carries 14 wedding films from 2021 to 2024, among them Micaela & Austin, May 2024. Its events gallery lists eight weddings by the couples’ names: Alex and Dimitra, Beata and Phil, Chris and Katie, Christelle and Jean, Dino and Louise, Lana and Ed, Lara and Nick, and Patricia and Ramin.
Planning your wedding
Couples can plan directly with the estate team, use its online planning platform, PlanA, or bring their own planner, in which case the estate asks to be told so that the enquiry runs smoothly. Many couples visit first, and the estate says it has hosted events of every size, from small intimate weddings to private rock concerts. No wedding price is published. The estate’s online cost calculator builds an indicative estimate from guest numbers, rooms, nights and dates, and its figures exclude VAT, so a written quote for your date is still needed.
Corfu International Airport is 21 km away, about 30 minutes by road, and Corfu Town is 22 km. Flights run direct from April to November and via Athens in winter. Gouvia Marina is 26 km away, the port of Corfu and the port of Lefkimmi are both 23 km, and the nearest golf course is 27 km. The estate’s website gives two figures for the distance to the nearest beach, so we state only that it is a short walk.
Three things are not confirmed and should be put to the estate in writing: capacity for the ceremony, the dinner and a standing reception; who caters; and whether music and finish times are limited. The pages we read are silent on all three.
Our view
Courti suits a couple who want a private, walled estate in Greece for the whole wedding, with the chapel, the olive press, the grounds and nine bedrooms in one enclosure and a recorded history behind it. Its distinction is the old farm buildings and the olive land around them. The main planning consideration is scale: the estate speaks of guest lists up to 500, but its only published guest figure for a space is 120 indoors, and most guests at a large wedding would sleep elsewhere.
Check your date with the estate through the Courti Estate listing, where the full record, the enquiry form and the films are gathered.
