Coast of Cephalonia

The waters off Cephalonia wash a mountainous Ionian coast cut by bays and sheltered coves. On the island's northwest shore, the peninsula of Assos projects into the sea, joined to the mainland of the island by a narrow isthmus. Venice began building a fortress there in 1593 to strengthen its defenses against Ottoman and pirate raids. A small harbor was added north of the isthmus in the following century, though its shallow water limited the number of ships it could shelter.