e-travelguide
0871 508 8768

Search for a Hotel Anywhere

Search This Site

Corsica

Make the most of your time in Corsica, use the information provided on this web site by clicking on the links to plan your visit.

Corsica is the fourth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located to the southeast of France, to the west of Italy and to the north of the island of Sardinia. Corsica is considered as one of the 26 régions of France although, as a collectivité territorial, it enjoys greater powers than other French regions. It comprises of the departments of Corse de Sud and Haute-Corse. Corsica is 183km long as its longest point and 83 km wide at its widest point. With 1,000km of coastline, it has more than 200 beaches and is very mountainous rising to 2,706m at Mount Cinto. Its capital is Ajaccio and other main towns on the island are Bastia, Corte and Sartène.  The climate in Corsica is generally one of hot, dry summers and mild, damp winters. However above 1,000m the weather is quite similar to that in Northern Europe , while at the top of the mountains the weather is seldom hot and frequently cold and windy with snow in the winter. Storms are reasonably common in the summer. Winds are another feature of the Corsican climate, notably the mistral from France, westerly winds from the Mediterranean and the hot sirocco from the Sahara.

As an island, Corsica has undergone a turbulent past. The island was occupied by the Greeks and Romans, with the earliest settlement at Aleria on the east coast. Later, during the Middle Ages, control of the island passed to the state of Pisa in 1077. Following a period of rivalry with the state of Genoa the Pisan state declined in 1284 and the rule of Corsica, along with Sardinia, passed to the King of Aragon. The Genoese regained the island in 1347 and ruled it – interrupted only by a brief intervention of the French in 1553 – until 1729 when the Corsican Revolution for independence began. After 26 years of struggle, the Corsican Republic was formed in 1755 under the leadership of Pasquale Paoli, who gave the island its constitution, modelled on that of England. The constitution was written in Italian, and Paoli proclaimed that Italian was the official language of Corsica.

The year 1769 marked the end of Corsican independence after the Treaty of Versailles ceded Corsica to France. In that year also, on 15th August, Napoleon was born in Ajaccio. During the 19th century, under Napoleon lll and the Third Republic, the island began to develop economically with the building of roads, railways and schools. However, with the decline of agriculture in the second half of the 20th century, the population of Corsica has gradually decreased to around a quarter of a million people with many young people seeking work on the mainland.

Nearly two million people visit Corsica each year, attracted by the mild climate and the diverse landscape of the island. It is known as L’Ile de beauté – the island of beauty. Its varied landscape includes fine sandy beaches, azure seas, dense forests, snowcapped mountains and unspoilt countryside. Even though the annual tourist influx exceeds the island’s population seven or eight times over, overdevelopment is rare and high-rise blocks are confined to the main towns.

The island offers visitors much to see and do. The bustling port city of Bastia is the most commercial and purely Corsican of the island’s two largest towns. The northern Cap Corse , known as the ”wild north” is characterised by pretty harbour towns such as Macinaggio and Centuri-Port, quiet coves and rocky cliffs dotted with Genoese watchtowers. The little port of Saint-Florent has a bustling waterfront, marina and a charming old town.  To the west, L’Île Rousse and Calvi are popular tourist destinations, while the spectacular Réserve Naturelle de Scandola can be visited by boat from the tiny resort of Porto. Further along the west coast, past miles of sandy beaches and rocky coves lies Ajaccio, the birthplace of Napoleon and the island’s capital. , Nearby Filitosa has the greatest prehistoric site on the island, with more to be found to the south of Sartène. Meanwhile the town of Porto-Vecchio provides a springboard for excursions to the amazing beaches of the south.

The former capital of the island, Corte, is situated in the heart of the mountains which form part of the Parc Naturel Régional that runs almost the entire length of the island. This area of the island offers a wide variety of outdoor activities including walking, climbing, horse-riding, mountain-biking and white water activities.

The island’s cuisine is best described as somewhere between French and Italian, with an emphasis on quality local ingredients and freshness. Meat dishes are often served with pasta or polenta and wild boar is a particular speciality. On the coast fish and seafood are popular, in particular red mullet, sea bream and crayfish. Much of the mountain cooking is based around locally produced dairy products, in particular the ewes’ cheese brocciu which is similar to goats’ cheese.

Cosican wines , most of which now have the French AOC accreditation, are good quality reds and rosés with flavours of the maquis. The most famous is probably Corsican Muscat. Patrimonio, at the southern end of Cap Corse is the centre of the island’s wine production although wine is produced throughout the island
 

©e-travelguide.info 2003 - 2009