Tourism and discovery

The ancient Greeks called it «Kalisti», the most beautiful. It is true that Corsica, «a mountain in the sea», is a real anthology of all the wonders of the world. It has its own long history and has also both witnessed and played its part in that of all the major countries of the Mediterranean. Even so, it has a genuine identity of its own, and its culture, although enriched by other cultures, has an astonishing variety of distinctive aspects. In every season of the year, luminous and hospitable Corsica is a land of encounters, amazement and wonder.

From a distance, approaching it by sea, Corsica appears to be a series of mountain peaks, often snow-covered, before revealing the contours of its shore. With an average altitude of 680 metres, it is the highest island in the whole of the Mediterranean. A veritable Alpine range rises to more than 2,700 metres at Monte Cinto, and some forty peaks reach a height of over 2,000 metres. By a miracle of geological formation and erosion, its contours contain all possible contours in miniature, needles pointing towards the sky, the summits a striking white, jagged peaks sculpted by the wind, steep-sided passes, gorges, broad, majestic cirques and lush green ridges; as well as a world of lakes, rushing streams, waterfalls and rivers inhabited by trout.

All the landscapes of the world

These mountains were long used as a refuge by the inhabitants whose shores were threatened by foreign incursions. They have led to the development of an entire mountain economy sustained by shepherds, the emblematic figures of the island. Today sheep tracks and footpaths run all over them. But these mountains have never forgotten that they have their feet in the sea, and Corsica has always lived too with the riches and splendours of the coast.

With its 1,047 kilometres of coastline, Corsica is a summary of all the coasts in the world: deep gulfs, the perfumed scents of the scrub, breathtakingly high white cliffs, red and ochre headlands, hidden rocky inlets for which Maupassant was filled with admiration, golden sandy beaches and dunes with sparse and unique vegetation.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, who had flown over so many of the world’s most beautiful and magnificent landscapes, wrote in Spring 1944, on his return from a mission shortly before his last trip: "Corsica. I feasted my eyes on its wonderful gulfs of swirling agate, on its beaches, on its hidden creeks, on its snow-tipped mountains, its forests, its mysterious scrub, its streams and rivers, its waterfalls and its thousand scents."

The island has been inhabited for more than nine thousand years. Great megalithic art then blossomed throughout the island, as is still evident in the box tombs, dolmens, standing stones and remarkable stone statues like those at Filitosa. Later the Phoenicians, the Carthaginians and the Greeks established trading posts on the coast and used the timber from its forests, in particular the great woods of Tartagine, to build their ships. In the 3rd century BC the Romans founded towns such as Aleria here. Corsica supplied Rome with oil, wine and oysters.

Millennia of History

Once the days of the Vandals and the Byzantines were over, mediaeval Corsica was joined to Pisa by papal decree. The island then became covered with churches, chapels, convents, and new villages sprang up. It excited the covetousness of the Genoese who seized it in the late 13th century. To assert their presence, the Genoese built superb citadels by the sea: Calvi, Bonifacio, Bastia, Saint-Florent, Porto-Vecchio, and Ajaccio. A complete network of roads was then constructed, those wonderful Gothic bridges and a little later the great towers along the coast to protect the island from invaders. Cultivation of vines, olive and chestnut trees expanded rapidly.

But the power of the Genoese was not unanimously approved and there were a great many rebellions, as there were against the many attempts by the Spanish, and the French too, to conquer the island. In 1567 the Genoese authorities granted Corsica its own government and peace prevailed for a hundred and fifty years. The Balagne was cultivated like a garden, the Agriates produced cereals, the citadels by the sea became busy ports. Baroque art flourished in the tiniest villages where the guilds built glorious chapels decorated with magnificent paintings.

In the 18th century, Corsica, under the influence of the great island figure, Pascal Paoli, was tempted to seek independence. It minted its own coins, set up a national printing works and established a university in Corte. But the young State could not collect taxes, administer justice or provide itself with an army, so Genoa appealed to France to help with the administration of the island. In 1769 Napoleon Bonaparte was born in Ajaccio. After the turmoil of the revolution, Corsica linked its destiny with that of France. Its sons took a very active part in events, in the fate of the nation. Many gave their lives for it. Villages became depopulated because of emigration and the slaughter due to wars. But Corsicans still retain their rich culture and the wonders of their heritage.

An outstanding heritage

The flora and fauna here are the richest of all the Mediterranean lands. It is impossible to forget the Laricio pine forests, the species of the scrub, the mountain flowers, the dunes or the islands and islets that surround Corsica; not to mention the osprey that glide over the cliffs of Scandola, a World Heritage Site, the mouflons tackling the needles of Bavella, and the great flocks of migrating birds making a brief stop on the surface of the vast coastal pools, on the East coast. The Regional nature reserve and Coastal Conservation area offer botanical walks and places to watch birds and animals, over a third of the island and a good proportion of the shore.

As luck would have it, the small paths and some roads through the countryside often lead to a sheepfold, an old mill, a Genoese bridge, a tower or little fort built beside the sea, a real-life seascape, a lighthouse, a Pisan chapel, a baroque church or even a viaduct built by Gustave Eiffel, and, of course, to one or other of the island’s 365 villages. They are wonderful places to stop. Standing on the heights, in places high as eagles’ nests, on rocky spurs or along a ridge they always offer splendid views into the distance. They are just the right size for everyone to know everyone else and to have an entire social, commercial and craft life at their centre. It is here you will find the best cheeses, the best cooked meats, the best pastries and cakes and can watch or join in the songs and the festivals.

In reality, the island has managed to reconcile past and present. Festivals such as the "Cinéma méditerranéen" [Mediterranean film] (in November ) and "Musicales" (in December) in Bastia, "Jazz" (June) or "Wind" (October) in Calvi, "Polyphonies" (July) in Balagne, "Rire" [Comedy] in Sartène, are eloquent testimony to this, as are the two large museums of Corte and Ajaccio. The Ethnography Museum in the island’s old intellectual capital presents 3,000 objects, tools, instruments and articles of clothing associated with the history of the island and daily life in earlier centuries. As for the Fesch museum, the wish and legacy of Napoleon’s famous uncle, it offers art lovers one of the world’s finest collections of early Italian art, with works by Botticelli, Tura, Boccati and a few masterpieces from more recent periods

A walker’s paradise

It is enough to watch people disembarking from those large white boats, sometimes very fast, which serve the island from Marseille, Toulon, Nice, Genoa and Livorno, to realise that Corsica is a favourite place for all who love walking, climbing, water sports in river or sea, scuba diving, mountain-biking, parapenting, hang-gliding, horse-riding and even skiing in the winter months.

Major sports events take place throughout the year: "Tour de Corse automobile" [motor race], "Corsica Bike" (off-road cycling), "Tour de Corse en canoë-kayak" [round-the-island canoe race], "Corsica Raid Aventure" [Corsica adventure trek], etc. But above all it is the young and not-so-young, people at all levels of fitness who so happily bring to life the tours of solitude and beauty. Apart from the GR 20 [long-distance footpath], reserved for the most battle-hardened, the numerous footpaths are accessible to all, well signposted and marked.

Riding centres, like Les Deux-Sorru, offer unforgettable one or several day trips to the most beautiful lakes, with accommodation in small chalets. Just as unforgettable are the wonderful ports and dream moorings that welcome small and large leisure craft.

With its people, very much aware of their traditions and their hospitality, its fabulous landscapes, its natural assets and cultural heritages, Corsica, a little piece of France set in the Mediterranean, is the island of all discoveries and all true delights.

WHERE TO STAY

• Corsica Camping: (33-4) 95 21 14 47
• Villages de vacances CECOREL: (33-4) 95 32 37 93
• Corsica Hôtels: (33-4) 95 25 42 34
• Gîtes de France Corse: (33-4) 95 51 72 82