Corsica is situated 160km off the southern coast of France
in the gulf of Genoa, but it is actually closer - 80km - to Italy and
was in Italian possession until 1768 when it was purchased by France.Ajaccio
is the capital of Corsica, one of metropolitan France’s 22 governmental
regions. The splendid island of Corsica, birthplace of the Emperor Napoleon I,
is a major tourist venue, with 300 beaches, 12 marinas and mountains reaching
3,600 metres.
The island's diverse coast of 1,000km has a mix of rugged cliffs as well
as some of the finest beaches in the Mediterranean with beautiful half-moon bays
and picturesque villages. There are no high rise developments along the coast as
buildings are restricted to a maximum two storeys and not allowed to encroach
too closely upon the beach.
An island next to France covered with never-ending white beaches and jagged
stone coasts, quaint rolling valleys and picturesque streets. The island
provides an ideal place for water sports like diving and water skiing, canoeing,
as well as opportunity for mountain biking, hiking and trekking. There are a
number of places to see also, starting from citadel, the "cultural
centre" of Corsica, which is situated majestically between the mountains
directly over the old city of Corte. Should not be forgotten the ancient city of
Calvi. Here, right in its midst is another old citadel, which still houses the
famed Foreign Legion. The city's breathtaking beauty will accompany you while
shopping on narrow side streets.
Inland further diverse landscapes can be found. Driving up the steep climbs
and around sharp hairpin bends through the jagged mountains can be exhilarating.
Half of these mountains are snow-capped for almost the entire year. The
mid-level mountains are covered in maquis - a mix of harsh and resilient bushes
including broom, gorse, juniper, laurel, lentisk and myrtle mixed with the
strong aroma-giving plants like asphodel, cistus, heather, lavender, thyme and
sage (which provide the spice in Corsican cooking). Pine and chestnut forests
cover the craggy mountains and olive groves fill the valleys.
Corsicans are known for being intimate in community but to strangers very
reserved and some outsiders could find the taciturn people unapproachable.
The family is paramount to the people. The language Corsu is more closely
related to Italian and many people are working to keep it alive, evidenced in
the bilingual or exclusively Corsu street and shop signs about the island.
Almost half of the population is concentrated in the two major towns and in
the interior of the country many communes are suffering from depopulation and
few activities exist outside of agriculture. The most effected are 136
communes in the west of the island where more than half of the population are
aged over sixty. Communes that are less deserted, but which have no shops or
services, are those close to the autoroutes. The people here drive to work in
the major towns.