The Museums of Zante

In order to appreciate the museums of Zante, one has to understand a little of the wild and crazy history of the island. Like most of the Greek islands, Zante has experienced successive waves of foreign conquest. Once an independent democracy, Zante was ruled from 150 BC on by first the Romans, and then by the succeeding Byzantine empire. In 1185, Zante fell to Frankish invaders taking part in the Third Crusade and remained under Neapolitan and then Venetian rule until 1797.