If you love to hike, climb or enjoy water sports, but are tired of the overcrowded national parks and local beaches, then the hard-to-get-to, sweet-smelling mountainous French Mediterranean island of Corsica is for you. There are no nightclubs like the Spanish island of Ibiza, risqué beach parties of the Greek island of Mykonos, or other cruise ship-plagued Mediterranean islands. Corsica’s mountains and hundreds of gorgeous, hard-to-reach, deserted beaches make it perfect for adventure enthusiasts at all stages.
Spend at least a week exploring the limestone cliffs of the Fortress town of Bonifacio and climb the 187-step King of Aragon staircase in one of the most spectacular towns in the Mediterranean. Once home of the French Foreign Legion, Bonifacio has the red rocks of Calanques de Piana; the white sandy beaches of Santa Giulia and Palombaggia; the Désert des Agriates, with its arid landscape and savage beauty; and the deserted beaches of Saleccia and Loto, with their curves of pearl-white sand and crystal clear water.
Away from the coast, the rugged countryside with narrow country roads twisting through rustic villages sit atop hills like medieval fortresses or cling to mountainsides above the sea, where even the graveyards look like miniature villages. The countryside offers a glimpse of Corsica’s old days and spectacular views of perfect picture-postcard scenery.
Besides swimming in ice-cold mountain streams or cycling along endless, twisting country roads, the island is a water sports paradise with everything from sailing, kayaking, and fishing to windsurfing and snorkeling in some of the clearest blue waters in the Mediterranean.
Try to avoid July and August, which are not only the hottest months of the year, but also the national holidays in France and Italy, and everybody is on vacation. Today, French is the official language but not popular, as Corsican (Corsu), a regional language, is widely spoken; English is understood in tourist areas. To get around Corsica, buses serve the larger towns, but with irregular schedules; and the Trinicellu (little train) narrow-gauge railway system runs only from Calvi in the northwest to Bastia in the northeast and Ajaccio in the south.
Renting a car remains the most convenient way to tour the islands’ miles of scenic roads, with many steep, hairpin bends, and it’s the best way to look for hidden beaches and mountain trails. Try the Bastia–Bonifacio stretch between the Route Territoriale 11 (T11) road for a long, straight, and scenic journey. All the road signs are bilingual – but in French and Corsican.
Corsicans are a proud people who were first invaded by the Phoenicians in 566 BC, and later, over the centuries, by the Greeks, Turks, Moors, British, Italians, French, and Germans. The Corsican flag, known as “A Bandera Corsa” or “Bandera Testa Mora,” features a black Moor’s head wearing a white bandana on a white background; it symbolizes their struggle for independence.
Eating out is about half the price of the USA, and everything is fresh and locally sourced. The cuisine is a mix of French and Italian, offering hearty wild-boar stews alongside delicate pastries like fiadone (Corsican cheesecake). Try the cured meats like figatellu sausage, or the local milk-and-whey cheese called brocciu, and of course, dishes featuring the island’s famous chestnuts – all washed down with a bottle of Patrimonio wine.
This is a great island that offers challenges at every turn, all just waiting to be taken.
“Bona strada, bon viaghju.”
The Captain