W
hen I arranged to visit the Silva Project in
Kanoni, a non-profit organisation dedicat- Sylvia’s Sanctuary
ed to preserving the rare Skyrian horse, I
was expecting it to be interesting – after all,
A home for all creatures
I was researching it for the benefit of an ISLAND article,
so it would have to be! What I wasn’t prepared for was to great and small in Kanoni
be completely enchanted; let me explain.
The Silva Project is situated on the Kanoni peninsula,
The 900 year-old lemon-scented eucalyptus
just outside Corfu town, in a walled and gated property,
which is also the home of Sylvia Dimitriades-Steen, the
founder of Silva. The Dimitriades family bought the
house in 1954 but it was only twelve years ago that Sylvia
moved here permanently from Athens.
What is the Skyrian Horse?
The Skyrian small horse mentioned in old manuscripts
as, “Το αργαιο Ελληνικο Ιππαριον”, existed on many
of the Aegean islands for centuries. Since it only survived
on Skyros, it is known today as the Skyrian small horse.
During the winter months, when food and water were
plentiful, the horses lived in the southern, mountainous
part of the island commonly referred to as the “vouno”.
At the onset of summer, they migrated north in search
of water and food. Their non-aggressive demeanour en-
abled farmers to use them for agricultural work, mainly
threshing. When modern threshing equipment was in-
troduced on the island in the mid 1960s, this symbiosis
came under threat and the survival of the Skyros horse
has since been, for the most part, dubious at best. One
of the largest threats facing the breed is the prevalence
of donkeys on the “vouno” that breed with the Skyrian
horses and prevent propagation of the breed. Legend has
it that Alexander the Great took Skyrian horses with him
when he left Macedonia to conquer the world. Another
claims that the magnificent horses depicted in the great
friezes of the Parthenon are Skyrians.
On entering the grounds we are greeted by lush veg-
etation, ancient trees and an air of tranquillity. It soon
becomes apparent that Sylvia does not just provide sanc-
tuary to the endangered Skyrian horse; she seemingly
opens her home and heart to any creature in need of
care and shelter. Our arrival at the estate’s 200-year-old
crumbling mansion is greeted by a cacophony of bark-
ing and deafening shrieks, the later of which, we soon
realise, are emanating from the depths of a hanging cage
on the veranda; it is a minor bird, thank goodness, and
not some peculiar beast about to lunge at us! Sylvia her-
self, a petite Greek lady who speaks impeccable English,
tells us that at the moment she is caring for 17 dogs and,
sure enough, they are everywhere – there’s even a little
lap dog lounging on a bed in the living room! But this is
nothing compared to what we see next – an entire room,
ex dining room, full to bursting with cages, and in the
cages, birds of all types. We are amazed to discover a fur-
ther two outdoor sheds with a host of feathery occupants
and we learn that Sylvia takes in sick and injured birds,
nurses them back to health and then releases them into
the wild again.
“By the end of the morning, we have
fallen head over heels for
Sylvia’s chaotic yet somehow
The estate’s church, where Sylvia and
peaceful corner of Corfu.”
her daughter were both married
ISLAND 
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