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Arrival (Air Corsica), Accommodation and feeding time
We flew Air Corsica from London Stansted. The airline has great connections to all three airports on the island, several international car rental agencies including Alamo, the company we used. A car in Corsica is an essential in order to explore.
We began our trip in the City of Bastia, which is located in the Northeast end of the island at the base of the Cap Corse. Drawn in by the faded charm of narrow streets and alleys, where washing still hangs drying from ancient shuttered windows in the often crumbling building, dating largely from the 18th century. It is the character of the old town, culminating at the old port, which is most fascinating.
Our second day saw us begin our journey North. With a palette of scenery exhilarating our eyes at every turn on the Mountain roads, and the smell of maquis (the perfumed shrubbery which blankets more than half the island) heavy in the air, the poetic beauty of this magical island soon became apparent.
Nestled into the most northerly point of Cap Corse, awaits Barcaggio Beach. The inaccessibility of Barcaggio has helped preserve its allure. Calm and peaceful even in the height of summer, the lovely sandy beach shelves gently into the pristine turquoise waters.
Skin flush from the Mediterranean sun, hair textured by the salt of the sea we begin our descend back to Bastia via the West side of the Cap. Racing the sunset, in order to make our dinner reservation at restaurant La Sassa. Perfectly out of place perched on a rocky peak yet surrounded by the most breath-taking views sits this modern traditional gem. Completely caught up in the romantic yet magical ambiance, we sipped the most delicious red wine which accompanied our mouth watering Brocciu and truffle Cannelloni.
Calvi
On the North-West coast of Corsica, the medieval hilltop citadel of Calvi shoots up from the sea like a Mediterranean answer to Mont St.-Michel. Around every bend lurk exiles, explorers, renegades and castaways from the pages of history. Locals claim Calvi as the birthplace of Christopher Columbus who is conventionally assumed to have been Spanish.
With an appetite brewing for the local delicacies after feasting on the idyllic landscapes and passages though history, we loose ourselves down one of the cobblestoned streets only to stumble upon the sweet smell of local grilled fish from restaurant Ô Fao and the enchanting sound of the Old World polyphonic singing, which delicately exudes the stone walls of the Cathedral.
Corscia
Another Corsica lies tucked behind the mountains that many visitors only glimpse from their beach towels. Soaring mountain ranges scrape the sky. Streams of rushing river water slice through deep gorges where boulders the size of cars skirt the shores of perfectly still lakes. Pigs and cows roam the land free.
Our journey by car saw us begin our ascend to the village of Corscia, Niolu Valley via La Scala Di Santa Regina. The village sits at the second highest point in the mountains, somewhere between the enchanting depths of the valleys and the clouds. With the winding roads becoming more narrow with the higher we climb, it soon becomes apparent why this playground for outdoor devotees is such a hit. For as far as the eye can see, you find yourself succumb to the bewitching and ever-changing landscape. A true hikers paradise.
Corscia, a village where time has stood still, positioned to the very centre of Corsica, in the township of Niolu part of the district of Corte. Houses as old as time perched on the mountains edge, weather beaten and slightly crumbling but yet captivated with such character and charm. The stone paths interlink one neighbour to the next.