Piers Golden
From wild mountains to wild boar stew, northern Corsica has it all. Samantha Laurie tucks in...
Is that French…or Italian? That was the question friends asked upon hearing that I was off to Corsica. Sadly, I had no idea. It’s surprising how little we Brits know about this rocky outcrop in the Med, especially as it was here that Riviera-wintering Victorians practically invented tourism.
The answer is French. Sort of. Until the mid-18th century, Corsica was part of the Genoese maritime empire, before it was sold to France to help pay off debts. By then the island had, in any case, proclaimed independence – a short-lived dignity ended by the arrival of French troops in 1769.
For the past 250 years, Corsica has remained French in status and tongue, but steeped in Italian architecture and cuisine. Into this mash-up comes Corsu, the island’s own language, along with a proud nationalistic spirit – note the scrubbed out French spellings on road signs – and a distinct cultural identity. One of the highlights of our trip is when a busy waterfront restaurant bursts into a cappella song, as diners serenade their appreciation with traditional polyphonic folk songs.
What you won’t hear spoken is English. Most tourists today are French or Italian, arriving by ferry from Marseilles or Genoa. But the advent of daily flights to the north of the island from the UK, starting this year, has opened up a whole new possible world of short breaks.
Food, wine and culture are the obvious draws, but Corsica’s high-rise interior also makes it especially suited to outdoor sports: cycling, hiking – the GR20 is one of Europe’s most challenging trails – and canyoning, a mix of scrambling, climbing and abseiling through gorges and waterfalls. Watersports are another big attraction: even the most far-flung fishing villages have kayaking and paddleboarding rentals, while the island’s clear waters (there’s no big industry) and invasion history (lots of wrecks) make it a premier scuba diving spot.
We start in Bastia, Corsica’s commercial hub and its busiest port. Most visitors scoot through on their way to the beaches, but this attractive working city with its beautiful Genoese Vieux Port and cobbled alleyways is repositioning itself as a destination.
Tourism here is small scale, or “human-sized”, as our guide Seb describes it. There are no all-inclusive resorts or big restaurant chains in town, and the average hotel is family-run and boasts just 26 rooms. The city’s plentiful charms include regular degustations of local foods at the tourist office (bring your French guide book), while a visit to the well-stocked Mattei liquor store introduces us to Cap Corse: the orange blossom scented Muscat produced in the wild, dramatic finger of land of the same name that stretches for 22 miles to the north.
You need a car to get around the Cap and a strong stomach for the corkscrew bends, but it’s worth it to visit the world-class vineyards of Patrimonio – no need to book for tastings, just pop in – and to see Saint-Florent: a little Saint-Tropez of swanky yachts and Michelin-starred restaurants.
Follow the coast to Erbalunga, a tiny, picturesque fishing village with a quaint seafront square. From here you can take a kayak out around the bays and be back in time to sample the best of Corsica’s ‘mountain to sea’ cuisine. Try wild boar stew and chestnuts flavoured with herbs from the maquis scrubland – a Mediterranean habitat suited to densely growing shrubs – John Dory or, my favourite, brocciu cannelloni: a delicious blend of mint, spinach and salty ewe’s milk cheese.
Corsica is far wilder and more mountainous than nearest neighbour Sardinia, and the rugged hinterland is best appreciated from the mountain train to Calvi. From Bastia it’s a spectacular three-hour trip through crumbling villages and Genoese watchtowers, gliding back down to the coast and into the glitz of superyachts and sunbeds.
A chic seaside town beloved of the Victorians, Calvi is at its best in September – the crowds gone, the restaurants still buzzing. At its heart is a magnificent 13th-century citadel high above the bustling marina. It was in attempting to seize this giant from the French, in 1794, that Admiral Nelson lost his right eye.
With more time, we could have dipped into the island’s fascinating prehistory: the great standing stones of the south-west, carved with human faces. But alas, we’re heading home. Short breaks are wonderful. They’re just a little, well, short.
Top spots
For views:
Studio Castille. Stay in Calvi’s medieval fortress, with magnificent views across the bay
For city life:
Hotel des Gouverneurs, Bastia. Breakfast on its beautiful terrace, looking across the Vieux Port
For luxury:
Villa L’Ancre Bleue, Saint- Florent. Top end, total luxury
Best buy:
A week-long train pass costs just 50 euros
Sam travelled with Corsican Places on a two-hour flight from Stansted. There are new flights into all four Corsica airports: Bastia, Calvi, Ajaccio and Figari. Three nights b&b at the four-star Hôtel des Gouverneurs in Bastia costs from £634pp, flights and car hire included. Corsica.co.uk; 01489 866931.
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