Corsica: The Rough Guide, Second Edition - Softcover

Taylor, Theo; Abram, David

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1858282276 ISBN 13: 9781858282275

Publisher: Rough Guides, 1997

Synopsis

The Rough Guide is a great handbook to this beautiful and turbulent Mediterranean island. Its astonishingly varied landscapes include some of Europe's most beautiful beaches as well as spectacular mountain peaks. The Rough Guide covers all the ancient sites and monuments and reports on the range of accommodations, dining, and nightlife in Corsica's main towns. 30 maps & plans.

About this title

About the Author

David Abram is an extremely well established travel writer and has co-authored several other Rough Guides including the Rough Guide to India, the Rough Guide to England and the Rough Guide to Goa.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

WHERE TO GO

Capital of the north, Bastia was the principal Genoese stronghold and its fifteenth-century old town has survived almost intact. Of the island’s two large towns, this is the more purely Corsican, and commerce rather than tourism is its main concern. Also relatively undisturbed, the northern Cap Corse harbours inviting sandy coves and coastal villages such as Erbalunga and Centuri-Port. Within a short distance of Bastia, the fertile region of the Nebbio has a scattering of churches built by Pisan stoneworkers, the prime example being the cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta at the appealingly chic little port of St-Florent.

To the west of here, L’Île Rousse and Calvi, the latter graced with an impressive citadel and a fabulous sandy beach, are the island’s major resort towns – and their hilly hinterland, the Haute-Balagne, offers plenty of hilltop villages to explore, as well as access to the northern reaches of the vast Parc Naturel Régional, an astounding area of forested valleys, gorges and peaks. The spectacular Scandola nature reserve, a part of the northwest coast that lies within the boundaries of the park, can be visited by boat from the tiny resort of Porto, from where walkers strike into the magnificently wild Spelunca Gorge and Forêt d’Aïtone.

Sandy beaches and rocky coves punctuate the west coast all the way down to Ajaccio, Napoléon’s birthplace and Bastia’s traditional rival. Its pavement cafés and palm-lined boulevards are packed with tourists in summer, but comparatively few of them make it to nearby Filitosa, greatest of the many prehistoric sites scattered across this, the most heavily visited, half of the island. The resort of Propriano lies close to Filitosa and to stern Sartène, seat of the wild feudal lords who once ruled this region and still the quintessential Corsican town.

More megalithic sites are to be found south of Sartène on the way to Bonifacio, a comb of ancient buildings perched atop furrowed white cliffs at the southern tip of the island. Equally popular Porto-Vecchio, the spot that has perhaps suffered most from the tourist boom, provides a springboard for excursions to the dazzling beaches of the south, or alternatively to the pine forest of Ospédale, or even to the windswept Col de Bavella, whose flattened pines and gigantic cliffs so inspired Edward Lear. The eastern plain has less going for it, but the Roman site at Aléria is worth a visit for its excellent museum, while to the north of Aléria lies the Castagniccia, a swath of chestnut trees and alluring villages.

Corte, standing at the heart of Corsica, is the best base for exploring the stupendous mountains and gorges of the interior, with the remote valleys of the Niolo and Asco a stone’s throw away. Dominating these, Monte Cinto marks the northern edge of the island’s spine of high peaks, closely tracked by the epic GR20, regarded as Europe’s toughest and most spectacular hike. The route, and several other of the superb long-distance walks on offer in Corsica, are covered in a separate chapter. Accounts of shorter day walks, and of ascents of the island’s major peaks – Monte Cinto, Monte Rotondo, Monte d’Oro and Monte Renoso – appear throughout the Guide.

WHEN TO GO

Whatever kind of holiday you intend to take, the best times of year to visit Corsica are late spring and late summer or early autumn, when you’re guaranteed sunshine without the stifling heat or crowds of July and August. The wild flowers carpeting the island in April and May make these delightful months to come, and autumn is just as good for scenic colour – the Castagniccia in particular is a riot of russet tones at this time of year. Beachgoers will be ensured a tan as late as October, and even if you plan a visit in the depths of winter you’re unlikely to encounter much rain, though snow on the high mountains can restrict driving through the passes in January, February and March, and visibility is often obscured by mists.

Crowds are likely to be a problem only in the major resorts such as Porto-Vecchio and L’Île Rousse, especially in the summer school holidays – les grandes vacances – when the whole of Italy and France take their annual holiday. In the more remote areas you should book accommodation in advance, for the simple reason that there is rarely more than a single hotel in any village.

Edition details

• Publisher: Rough Guides
• Publication date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1858282276
• ISBN 13: 9781858282275
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 343