Crystal clear waters and picture-postcard-perfect beaches, wild and unspoiled nature where flowers and cactus grow everywhere, chestnut and cork forests splattered with wild fig, lemon and olive trees surround medieval villages, and folk are welcoming. Janine Marsh takes a cruise and falls head over heels for the island the ancient Greeks called “the most beautiful”…

Cruising around Corsica

Corsica is one of the best-kept secrets of the French. A whopping 80% of visitors to the island are from France. Just 20% are from Europe and the rest of the world. It’s incredible that this gorgeous island is largely undiscovered.

Arriving at the port in Nice on a rather dull and drizzly day, it was easy to spot the cruise ship Belle des Oceans which was to be my home for the next week.

Guests were welcomed aboard by a violinist and the ship’s staff. It set the scene for the rest of the trip. Right from the start you’re made to feel valued. My room was spacious and modern with a good sized window from which I could see dark clouds forming over the hills of Nice.

Before we left port, there was a safety drill, life jackets on, counting heads and there are no exceptions. It was a good chance to see my fellow residents. Mainly French, a smattering of Australian, Canadian and America. Mostly in the older age range, some families and no kids (there are other cruises that cater to kids).

As we set sail in the evening, dinner was announced. The servers stood in the doorway and wished everyone a good evening. Sometimes they broke out into song and warbled us through the doors – it made everyone laugh and broke the ice. By the end of dinner – a very French gastronomic affair, four courses and wine – everyone was chatting. The crew asked English speakers beforehand if they’d like to sit with fellow Anglophones. Some do, some don’t. I found myself sitting with a couple from Michigan and a couple from Canada.

The island of Beauty

For the next 7 days the boat was to cruise around the island, which is closer to Italy than France. We took in the main historic cities, off the beaten track villages and beaches. We enjoyed wine tastings and lunch in gorgeous little family-run traditional restaurants. There is a choice of excursions each day – all brilliant. Classic tours take in the major sites and discovery tours take you to more secret and hidden gems. All tours have French and English speaking guides. It’s a brilliant way to see a lot of Corsica while you relax, enjoy the sites and simply soak the atmosphere where joie de vivre meets la dolce vita

Ajaccio and Iles Sanguineres

We arrived the next morning  to brilliant sunshine in Ajaccio, birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte. There’s plenty to see and do in the rather upmarket and picturesque town and you can’t help but notice the number of bars and shops dedicated to the famous French General! There’s a Napoleon Museum and the fabulous fine arts Fesch museum. Corsican-born Joseph Fesch was half uncle of Napoleon Bonaparte, a cardinal and archbishop of Lyon. Born in Ajaccio he donated his enormous collection of some 16,000 artworks to museums and the Musée Fesch contains a huge chunk, including works by Botticelli, Giovanni Bellini and Titian amongst others.

From here we visited La Parata along the coast of the Ile Sanguineres, a classified Grande Site de France, in time to watch the sun slowly dipping into the sea. Famous French crooner Tino Rossi had a home in this most beautiful area with its pointy islands poking through the top of waves like tiny pyramids. A Genoese tower sits atop a hill, one of many built along the coastline to defend the island. Corsica’s history tells a turbulent tale of invasion, rebellion and social upheaval. Conquered by the Greeks in 565BC, alternately under the rule of the Lords of Genoa, changing hands between the Italians and French. Corsica is now classified as a region of France with two departments, Corse-de-Sud, and Haute-Corse.

Flowers everywhere

What’s immediately apparent is just how lush and flowery Corsica is. Everywhere there are wild lemon, fig and olive trees, cactus plants, lavender and poppies which vie for attention. Every verge is covered in greenery and brightly coloured flowers. And the ever present aromatic maquis, a bit like the garrigue of southern France, an undergrowth of herbs and bushy shrubs, covers the ground. It was only our first day in Corsica and already I was a little in love with it.

Calanques de Piana

A coach took us via mountain roads several hundred metres above sea level to the town of Porto. We passed the Chateau de la Punta built partially from the stones of the Palace of the Tuileries in Paris which once belonged to Catherine de Medici but was destroyed by fire in the lates 1800s. And past  Corsica’s highest vineyard at 500m, the area where Corsica’s “king of the outlaws” once lived. He was no Robin Hood although he was romanticised by many including those with power and influence including Baron Haussmann of Paris and the writer Flaubert.

We stopped at the village of Piana. It’s officially one of the prettiest in France. Typically laid back Corsican, the church bells struck 10 o’clock at eight minutes past! Admiring the dazzling views over the Golfe de Porto In Corsica, you feel it just can’t get any more lovely… And then you come across another gorgeous village, vineyard, beach, town. From there we headed to the village of Ota, a popular starting point for hiking the spectacular gorges de Spelunca via an ancient mule trail, and Aitone Forest. We boarded a boat bound for the Calanques (or calanche in Corsican) de Piana, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and one of the highest calanques in Europe. Sheer cliffs and dramatic rock formations, jutting out of the inky sea are magnificent, majestic and mesmerising, home to birds including eagle-like ospreys .

Porto Vecchio

The glittering coastal city of Porto Vecchio on the south side of the island is built on salt marshes. The salt is still harvested, the salt pans glinting in the sun as you look out from the top of the town. This is the most deluxe part of Corsica. Several celebrities have homes here. Rihanna was spotted here on holiday recently, and George Clooney I’m told – though not together, don’t be starting any rumours! Fabulous beaches and a lively, picturesque town make this a favourite with tourists.

Bonifacio

The best way to see this historic city for the first time is from the sea. As our boat pulled into the harbour, the top deck was bathed in the rays of the rising sun and we tucked into snacks and drinks to the sound of soft music. The towers of Bonifacio shimmered in the soft dawn light, the sky was pearly blue with hints of pink. There is something ancient about the sight of those soaring cliffs turning apricot coloured as the sun burns off the light mist sitting over the inky waters of the Med. Big cruise ships can’t get through the narrow opening but we glided through and it felt magical to witness this special sight.

Bonifacio fees authentic. It’s stunningly hilly and its maze of cobbled winding streets are lined with medieval buildings. Tall old houses in shades of muted yellows and oranges have delicate iron work balconies from which washing hangs. Pale pastel coloured shutters closed against the growing heat of the dawning day.

Napoleon’s ice cream?

Bonifacio has plenty of restaurants and bars, and shops selling jewellery carved from local red coral jewellery – said to ward off the evil eye. At Rocca Serra ice cream bar, they sell an ice cream flavoured with clementine, mandarin and macquis which legend claims was invented when Napoleon fell in love with a local woman and gave her a coral necklace – and in return she gave him an ice cream made to that recipe! Corsica is known as the ‘city of coral’ inspiring Matisse to capture it on canvas.

One of the most incredible sites in the city is the King of Aragon’s staircase. I’d seen a photo of the 187 steep stairs carved into the chalk white cliffs but nothing prepares you for the reality. Do not attempt to use the stairs if you have a fear of heights. Though a safety rail has recently been added – it’s rather harrowing. Legend says Argonese soldiers created the 187 stairs in a single night!

The Lavezzi Islands

After lunch in a picturesque and deliciously rustic traditional restaurant in the countryside, we toured the remote Lavezzi Islands. They look just as if the Caribbean has been plonked down just off the coast of Bonfacio. You can only reach them by boat, and you’ll find a haven of wild birds, and one swanky inhabited island. This is where the rich and famous craving anonymity go on holiday. Locals claim to have seen Beyonce, Princess Caroline of Monaco and former President Sarkozy there!

Cap Corse

Docking in the town of Bastia, a town of art and history and immense charm, we headed to Cap Corse. But first we stopped at Clos Santini vineyard for a wine tasting. They poured generously and plied us with cheese and Corsican charcuterie – figatellu, smoked pork liver and other cured meats.

From here we went to Barrettali for lunch at a restaurant at the Giottani Marina overlooking a fabulous beach. It’s one of those places that you see in French films, romantic, unspoiled and unbelievably beautiful. But you know you will never find it. Well here it is, one restaurant, one hotel and a whole lot of paradise.

On the way back to the ship, we stopped off at Erbalunga, a charming and typical Corsican town, where a game of boules was taking place on the town square, little alleyways lead to the sea, and friendly bars and restaurants sit alongside shops selling clothes and handmade jewellery.

Calvi L’Île-Rousse

Arriving at the Port of L’Île-Rousse we made our way to the city of Calvi along roads lined with pine trees and eucalyptus from Australia and New Zealand. It’s claimed Christopher Columbus was born here, and we stopped at the remains of what the locals claim was his ancestral home in the famous Citadel which dominates the town. Just 30 people still live here in the “Carcassonne of Corsica”. The roads are steep and wind around like a helter-skelter. Nelson stood here at the siege of Calvi in 1794, the sense of history is palpable.

Below the citadel is a bustling town, where Rue Clemenceau is known to the locals as “shopping street” and you’ll find shops peddling everything from chic summery clothes to spicy sausages. The marina is lined with fabulous restaurants. Nip to the streets beyond rue Clemenceau where everything is less touristic. The cafés that don’t have a view over the bay is where the locals go, like Brasserie à Macagna where the smell of cooking – garlic and herbs makes your mouth water. Join locals gathered at the bar for a pre-lunch glass of Corsican wine before tucking into the dish of the day – Moules de Diane, with mussels from L’etang de Diana, Diane’s lake in Aleria, once the Roman capital of Corsica, and renowned for its succulent oysters.

Life on board a Croisi-Europe cruise

Being on board is a cross between a country house hotel where every guest is known.  Each  morning I was asked if I wanted my usual “Earl Grey, no sugar or milk?” Each evening – “a glass of red, not too dry?” And though you get to see a lot on this trip, it is never hurried, never rushed, always relaxing, slow travel at its very best…

Find out more and book a cruise of a life time at: CroisiEurope.co.uk

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We take a look at the wines of Corsica, grown on the slopes and earth of this most beautiful French island in the Mediterranean…

It’s the scent of Corsica that lingers longest. The French call it maquis, the locals macchia, both a name for the aroma of rosemary, thyme, marjoram, mint, and a myriad of other native herbs and flowers that fill the island’s unhurried air.

Yet for all its beauty, Corsica remains an island of contradictions. a place of land-based cuisine but marine-infused wine, of French possession yet Italian heritage, of fierce pride served up with unwavering hospitality. In short, a crucible of sensory and cultural extremes accessible only by boat or air.

“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent.”  John Donne

If no man is an island, but a ‘piece of the Continent’, Corsica is indeed a chip off the Continental coastline of France. The island of Corsica lies 100 miles southeast of France, seven (7) miles north of Sardinia, and 50 miles west of Italy. Corsica enjoys a Mediterranean climate with Oceanic/Alpine influences. It’s also the most mountainous, non-volcanic island in the Mediterranean.

And though an island, Corsica is not ‘entire of itself.’ On the contrary, many continents have colonized, captured and conquered it over the centuries.

Phocaean traders predated the Romans. Romans came, saw and encouraged Corsica’s wine culture until the 5th century BC. Non-drinking Saracens followed next, putting a stopper on wine production until city-state Genoa paddled over from what is now modern Italy.

The Genoese reign from the 13th -18th centuries proved both a blessing and a curse. While introducing rigorous wine harvest and production laws, Genoa also sipped greedily on Corsica’s wine exports. Some ampelographers (the folks that study and classify wine grapes) also credit Genoa with introducing the Sangiovese clone known locally as Nielluccio or Niellucciu.

But all somewhat-benevolent occupations must eventually come to an end, and in 1768, Genoa ceded Corsica to France. Prudent France ensured continuation of the region’s wine production, improving exports greatly when local boy-made-good, France’s Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, decreed Corsican wine and tobacco exports duty-free.

No amount of political clout, however, could save Corsica from the 19th century phylloxera plague. While some wine makers survived by replanting vines to American rootstock, others vignerons chose to leave the island. Only in the 1960’s, with an influx of Algerian colonists, did Corsica’s vineyards begin the rebound they enjoy today.

Corsica’s biodiversity – a mixture of soils, micro-climates and topography, creates one of the most unique vinicultural areas in the world. No wonder it’s called I’lle d’Beauté (Island of Beauty). Corsica’s wine regions literally ring the island’s center, Parc Naturel Régional de Corse, an unspoiled park sporting snow-capped 9,000 ft. Monte Cinto. High diurnal shifts ensure warm days and cool evenings, good for retaining freshness and bright acidity in the grapes. The northern part of the island, with its schist soils, favours the white grape Vermentino, while the limestone and clay soils of the south prefer the red varietal Nielluccio. In the west, granite soils support another red grape, Sciaccarellu, while the eastern sandy, granite soils produce a plethora of whites, reds, and rosés.

Corsica contains nine (9) wine regions, or AOC’s (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée) Vin de Corse AOC, the regional AOC, administratively covers the entire island, but technically encompasses most of the east coast of the island. Within the regional AOC lie five (5) sub-appellations, regions smaller in size and yields. These include: Vins de Corse, Coteaux du Cap Corse, Calvi (famous for Gris de Calvi rosé), Sartène, Figari, and Porto Vecchio.

The island’s other four wine regions include: Ajaccio AOC, Patrimonio AOC (and Corsica’s first AOC), Muscat du Cap Corse AOC, and Vins de Pays (VDP’s). Corsica’s VDP wines are those typically produced with less restrictions and greater yields than those of the AOC’s, but with more restrictions than VDT (Vin de Table) wines. Corsica boasts two (2) VDP’s – VDP I’lle de Beauté, (responsible for 60% of all Corsican wine production), and VDP Pays de Mediteranée, which includes Rhône, Provence, and Corsica.

Many consider Corsica the most exciting wine region in France today, offering up pours of depth, drama, and soulfulness – many from traditional grapes, most grown organically.

Without question, whether a Francophile, wine lover, or holiday traveller, I’lle de Beauté beckons, bewitching all who land ashore.

L. M. Archer, FWS is a freelance writer, International Travel Writers Alliance member, and member of the French Wine Society holding designations in French Wine and Bourgogne Master-Level Certificate. When not writing, traveling or tasting, she’s dreaming…usually about Burgundy.

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A couple of years ago, I was lucky enough to visit the pretty village of Pigna near Calvi.

I had very fond memories of this charming village from a holiday near here many years ago and I was wondering if it had changed much.

My friend dropped me off just outside the village and as I strolled through the cobbled alleyways, taking photograph after photograph, I soon realised, to my delight, that nothing much had changed at all. Interesting craft workshops were around every corner with their goods for sale – glass blowing, pottery, musical boxes… and the views were just as lovely as ever.

I stopped for a cup of coffee in A Casarella, a restaurant I recalled from my previous visit, the view from here is particularly stunning and the staff were as friendly as I remembered. This popular restaurant can get very busy, especially in the high season, so I booked a table for lunch before heading off to explore the rest of the village and, of course, take many more photos of the twisting cobbled alleys and picturesque stone houses.

On returning to A Casarella it was indeed busy and I was shown to a separate part of the terrace and for quite a while I had this little garden all to myself. I sipped a cool Pietra (a rather good Corsican beer) and tucked into a smooth, creamy Corsican sheep’s cheese, a tasty, coarse pâté and the most delicious fig jam with fresh bread while gazing down across the hillside to the village Algajola and the glistening sea. I remember clearly thinking how lucky I was to be back here again.

A beautiful swallowtail butterfly fluttered around the flowers by my table but it was long gone before I had the chance to get my camera.

The owner, Barbara, came over so I took the opportunity to find out a little more about this, my favourite restaurant in Corsica. She was happy to explain that her husband had opened the restaurant in 1998 and it was their philosophy to treat their customers and the environment with respect. They only use local produce and where ever possible, organic. The pâté, cured meat and sausages, are from free roaming mountain pigs. And very delicious it is too.

All too soon it is time to go. There were new villages to discover but I do hope the perfect little village of Pigna never changes.

Kathryn Burrington is a travel writer and photographer, who has worked in the travel industry for over 17 years. In her blog, Travel With Kat, she shares her joy of discovering new countries, cultures and cuisines.

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Corsica is one of the most beautiful islands in the Mediterranean Sea. Like a jewel, it shines in the azure blue waters that surround it, a place of history with a rich culture, wonderful cuisine, outstandingly beautiful natural landscape and much much more.

I was last in the idyllic little Corsican hilltop hamlet of Piedicroce –‘The Foot of the Cross’ – during the long, hot summer of 1974, that’s 38-years ago, leading 25 wealthy Americans on a three-week cycling tour of the beautiful and mountainous Mediterranean island. I’ve dined out ever since on my story of how Piedicroce’s war memorial bears the names of 18 soldiers with the surname Casanova, who died during The Great War – but does not say whether they were killed by the Germans or by jealous husbands. It’s a nice story but on my recent long overdue return I discovered a serious flaw. The memorial is still there right enough, beside the church, just where I remember it, but there’s not a single Casanova inscribed on it – so the memorial I’ve recalled so vividly for all these years must have been in another place at another time!

Another memory is of sitting on the terrace of the Le Refuge Hotel – yes, that spot at least proved as I remember it – listening to the cock crow as I ate my breakfast and surmising that maybe it was the same fowl that would be in the coq au vin I had pre-ordered for lunch, though, maybe in reality, I ended up opting for the lamb!

A Little Corsican History

The first thing on my agenda was a walk through the old town, with its elegant colonnaded square and statue of Pascal Paoli, the father figure of all true-blooded Corsicans.

A little history: after years of dispute between various Mediterranean powers, the Genoese finally took control of Corsica in 1284. Pascal Paoli launched an uprising, which did not end until 1769, a year after the Genoese had sold the island to France who put the ruthless Comte Marbeuf and General Morando in charge.

Eventually Paoli secured help from the English, who ruled Corsica from 1794 to 1796 when the newly born French Republic regained power. As for Paoli, he died in exile in England and was buried in Westminster Abbey, his remains being returned to his homeland many years later. Meanwhile, that upstart Napoleon Bonaparte had ruled the roost – a Corsican who had forsaken his roots adapted his surname and become the most French of all Frenchmen (There’s an excellent Bonaparte Museum in Ajaccio).

After many decades of unrest and occasional violence, in1990 France’s national assembly finally approved a statute recognising the Corsican people’s right to maintain an identity of their own, with special cultural, economic and social rights but remaining within the French Republic.

Corsican Cuisine

That identity manifests itself in many ways. Take the cuisine for example: French, Italian, Greek, Spanish, Phoenician and Moroccan influences manifest themselves in a mouth-watering melange.

Most famous are the many varieties of farmhouse cheeses and charcuterie while the signature dish is civet de sanglier au châtaignes (cignale cù e castagne in Corsican) an unctuous stew of wild boar and chestnuts. Other dishes to jump out of the menu include slow-roasted spring lamb with rosemary, veal medallions with citrus fruits and honey and all manner of delights from the fish counter, including the famed mussels from the Diana lagoon, halfway up the east coast. These are coated in flavoured breadcrumbs and served grilled on the half-shell.

Corsican wines, especially the rosé offerings, have a growing reputation.

What to see and do in  Corsica

I resisted the lure of the sunbeds at the hotel and spent my days exploring. To the south lay the popular resort of Calvi and, a lot further down the coast, the stunningly beautiful jagged red rocks of Les Calanches and the breathtaking Bay of Porto, guarded by an imposing mediaeval watchtower – surely one of the most romantic places in the world to watch the sun go down.

Inland was the dramatic Parc Naturel Régionel de Corse, with its tumbling streams and deep gorges and the steep cobbled backstreets of ancient Corte, the headquarters town of the famed – or should that be infamous? – French Foreign Legion.

It doesn’t look much on the map, but set at least five or six hours aside for the dramatic drive round Cap Corse, that spectacular promontory that sticks out of the top of the island, pointing finger-like to the far-off mainland France – and hope, as you negotiate the endless twists and turns, ups and downs and often precariously narrow stretches of one of the planet’s most fabled coast roads, that nobody in the vehicle is a car sickness sufferer. After all that nail-biting drama, you could stop for a strong coffee at one of the popular student thronged pavement cafés in downtown Bastia, the island’s self-important second city – if you could ever find a place to park in what must be one of Europe’s most traffic-logged towns.

Beyond my reach this time was the capital city of Ajaccio and, with views across to neighbouring Sardinia, super-photogenic Bonifacio, with its houses built precipitously into the side of the near sheer cliffs. But 30-degree temperatures, clear blue skies and balmy evenings had made it a memorable September sojourn on a remarkable island where even fractured memories could not spoil things. Like Sicily, Corsica was once bandit-ridden and had its own version of the Mafia but it is now a very safe and peaceful place and the locals are very friendly.

When I stupidly reversed down a hidden ditch, two passing motorcyclists and a 4X4 driver stopped immediately to offer their help and had me back on the road in a few minutes. When I proffered my thanks the truck driver responded warmly: ”You are never on your own in Corsica.” – a lovely comment that made my day.

By Roger St Pierre, Member of British Guild of Travel Writers

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The spectacularly beautiful French island of Corsica is in the Mediteranean – west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia.

The island has been fought over and occupied constantly for centuries but since 1769 Corsica has been governed by France – with a couple of interludes of British rule which didn’t last too long. Despite its French credentials the island retains its own character and has it’s own distinctive language and customs and has a very definite Italian feel to it.

Thanks to its tactical position the island was used by the US military in WWII to establish 17 airfields and was nicknamed “USS Corsica”. These days though the island is a tourist haven, much sought out by sun-seekers and lovers of beautiful scenery.

The island offers visitors an amazing variation of landscapes, a rugged sea swept coastline with more than 200 beaches, mountains the interior of the island enjoys deep forests, glacial lakes, gorges where you can walk, maquis-covered slopes and snow-capped granite peaks; wilderness areas attract walkers and nature-lovers – all this on an island of no more than 8,680 sq kms.

Tiny villages cling to the mountainsides like barnacles on a whale, exceptional baroque style churches abound, fortified seaside villages and cobbled streets combined with glorious sandy beaches and crystal clear water – Corsica is a holiday-makers paradise.

Driving on the island is easy and you can hire a car on arrival, there are no major complicated roads, the whole atmosphere is pretty laid back and that includes the driving.

Around 2 million people a year visit Corsica for the beaches are amongst the finest in Europe, the Mediterranean climate is inviting and the diverse landscapes offer something for everyone, but away from the main resorts there are peaceful mountain towns, quiet fishing villages and empty beaches. Tourism has not spoiled Corsica and there is plenty of scope to tour the island and find hidden sandy coves, cascading waterfalls, wonderful little restaurants in undisturbed harbour towns and more.

Why not go in April, May or June and beat the tourist rush in July and August. The weather can be beautiful in those months, the roads clear and you can have the beaches to yourself although some restaurants and facilities may be closed in early May.

In the north of the island, Bastia is the capital and boasts an almost intact 15^th century citadel. There are little fishing villages such as Macinaggio and lovely little ports like that at St-Florent.

The west of the island has a marvellous coast line – major targets for holiday makers, which runs down to the town of Ajaccio, birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte.

There are prehistoric sites such as Filitosa and close by Bonifacio which boasts a fascinating citadel leaning out over the sea, a stunning sight against a sunset or sunrise.

You can reach Corsica by air or by ferry from Mainland France or Italy.

Best things to do in Corsica

See the unique carved faces of the Filitosa menhirs, Mediterranean archeological treasures

Calvi is Corsica’s hallmark resort, spectacular scenery and a 15^th century citadel

Drink in the view from  the cliff top seaside town of Bonifacio with its ancient houses, steep lanes and medieval battlements, then take a boat ride from the harbour

Relax on one of the stunning beaches

Take a trip on the amazing mountain train to get from one town to another (Bastia, Ajaccio and Calvi).

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