The influence that European conquerors yielded on Cephalonia and generally the Seven Islands is more than evident. Voice tone, dialect, linguistic idioms, traditional clothing and even people's education are somewhat different than in the rest of Greece.

Music is another area influenced by Italian culture. The founding of the National Musical School by Dionyssis Lavragas (1864-1941) instigated the great tradition of cantades, serenades and arriets. The arriet, a unique musical genre in Greece, is a small song (aria), that has its roots in the Italian word "a orecchia" (=with the ear) and is based on the musical perception of singers. The genre originated from the fishermen who gathered every night in taverns to divide the shares of the day. Cantades and serenades are considered to be an evolution of the arrieta and are accompanied by guitar. Also chanting is very important, with characteristics that differentiate it from the Byzantine tradition.

Italian music is also echoed in local dances, which are accompanied by the violin, guitar and mandolin. The most common ones are: Ballos, Mermigas, Koutso, Voskopoules with Divaratiko being the most popular as Cephalonians cannot help but get up and dance upon hearing the first notes.

Like all the Ionian Islands, Cephalonia has claimed from time to time great figures in the arts and literature field, who influenced Greek civilization. The most flourishing period was between 1850-1950, with coinciding financial growth, resulting in people's orientation towards theatre, literature, music and the sciences.

Distinguished figures in music were Antiohos Evangelatos, a well-known composer of symphonic music, violinist (fiddler) Dimitrios Horafas, composer Dionyssios Lavragas, pianist Spyros Farantatos, Petros Skarlatos etc.

Painting was represented by Herouvim Anninos, hagiographer, Dimitris Stellakatos, Nikolaos Liokis, great caricaturist, Themos Anninos and Spyros Vikatos (1874-1900), whose works are displayed in Munich and Switzerland.

Exhibitions of contemporary painters are found in several parts of the island, like the Cultural Center of Poros, the house of the painter Panagiotis Gavrielatos, the art halls of Fiscardo and Argostoli etc. Moreover, St. Andrew Museum has a magnificent collection of frescoes and icons (hagiographies), dating two centuries ago.

Nevertheless, the most distinguished Cephalonian figures come from the literary field. Some with their romantic style, others with sharp and at the same time satyric orientation, have created "schools" based on their characteristic touch. The most renowned figures are: Ioulios Tipaldos, George Molfetas, Babis Anninos and Nikos Kavadias, whose parents were from Cephalonia. Also, an important contribution to literature was made by: Pangiotis Lorentzatos, Ioannis Loverdos, Panagiotis Vergotis etc.

Undoubtedly though, the most distinctive figure in literature was Andreas Laskaratos. Being the last representative of Modern Greek Enlightenment, he made explicit through his writings his opposition to religious fanaticism and generally the clergy. Although he experienced intense feelings of theism and rationalism, he was nevertheless unable to comprehend the redeeming power of Orthodoxy, a fact which resulted in his excommunication by the Church. However, a satyrical style and the power of his ideas that made him known to Greece permeated his writings.

A leading figure in the field of sculpture was George Bonanos.

Architecture does not exhibit any particular figures, although Cephalonian artistry has a style for imitation. As it is influenced by the Francs and the Venetians, it is found all over the island in the form of castles, noble houses and picturesque settlements.

People with the most adventurous spirit proved to be Cephalonians: San Juan de Fuca (his real name was Ioannis Fokas), discovered in 16th century the straits (47th and 48th North Parallel) between Vancouver and Canada, which is named after him. In addition, in 17th c. the son of Count George Gerakis, Konstantinos Gerakis, succeeded in becoming Vice King of the distant Siam.

Besides the human element of Cephalonia, there are several places offering tangible proofs of its civilization.

The Folklore and History Museum, located on the ground floor of Korgialenios Library, gives the visitor an opportunity to see historical documents, icons, works of art, traditional clothing and rare historical pictures. One can also admire a traditional bedroom, ball gowns, and family emblems.

The cultural heritage of Cephalonia would not be complete if it weren't for the Korgialenios Library. The Library was founded in 1924, with the contribution of Marinos Korgialenios and contains 53.000 volumes, as well as rare manuscripts of the period 1535-1900. The Library also houses the Sdrin carved wooden icon-screen as well as the art collection of Mr. P. Charokopos.

Argostoli's Archaeological Museum, which was destroyed by the earthquake of 1953 and was rebuilt in 1960, houses samples dated between the prehistoric and the Roman period. It also has unique findings of the mycenean civilization that flourished in Cephalonia: ceramics, golden coins, sculptures and swords that make up a treasure of invaluable price. Moreover, Cephalonia has been inhabited since 10.000 BC, so we can also see tools of the Paleolithic period.

Besides Argostoli, we can also visit Lixouri to delve into the Cephalonian civilization. The distinguished Iakovatios Library is housed in the noble house of the Tipaldi-Iakovati families. There, we can find rare gospel manuscripts, dating from the 10th and 15th centuries and also icons of Byzantine and post Byzantine art, with most important the "Assembly of Michaelmas" by Filotheos Skoufos and an icon by Michael Damaskinos. The Library also houses a collection of books, 5.000 of which belonged to the Professor of Theology Mr. Alevizatos and 7.000 of which belonged to the Iakovati family. Furthermore, we can see the well-known Vallianios Professional School and the Philharmonic School (1836) that was founded by Mr. Skarlatos.