There is nothing bland about Corsica. Tiny villages, often eerily empty, cling to the flanks of the granite and slate mountains which split the island; startlingly white-fringed beaches on the 1,000 km of coastline are often remote and deserted; its language and food distinctive yet remarkably familiar. Thirty years ago the island, described by proud Corsicans as a ‘mountain in the sea’, was relatively unknown as a holiday spot.
Now it is tourism that supports the island’s economy, with two thirds of its visitors coming from France, an unusual fact, as the Victorians were among the first travellers to spot Corsica’s attractions as a getaway destination. They built grand palaces in Ajaccio, the capital and famous as the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte whose birth house is open to visitors.
Stunning Scenery and Chestnut Beer
The French come for the sun, the diving, the cycling, the climbing and the spectacular walking, especially on the renowned GR20, a hiker’s dream trail which cuts the island roughly into quarters and climbs over the mountains and down into the valleys. There is even skiing for winter sports fans. Corsica is blessed with much more than just stunning mountain scenery and secret beaches. My friends and I had heard that it was a quiet place to relax, something we were to dispute by the end of our holiday.
A trip up the dizzyingly narrow and often pitted roads of the island’s west coast is truly an adventure, if a rather perilous one. Luckily the state of the roads dictates a low gear and near –pedestrian pace in parts. Facing you round any bend could be a lonesome cow; they graze freely in the maquis - the mountain shrub. You may even come across pigs snuffling for chestnuts. These chestnuts add a distinctive flavour to the local pork and are also used in bread and beer making. You may spot a wild boar skin (with head still attached) flung over a fence – it’s a show of an individual hunter’s success.
Cabaret Ham
On the journey along the west coast you can sample the delights of wild boar at the Osteria U Mulinu in Feliceto, a village in the Balange region. Here the host, Joseph Ambrosini, served up thick slices of home-cured ham hacked off with a huge knife. The meal was literally thrown at us! Anything we failed to catch was simply thrown out of the window into the lane (and that included the plates and glasses). The guilty party was then clouted around the ear; it was worse for the girls – they received a full-on garlic smacker on the lips!
The evening proceeded at a lightening pace: pistols firing, whips-a-cracking, singing and dancing; in fact a full-on cabaret from our eccentric host, who even has his own Facebook fan club group. By the end of the evening topped up with local wine, we were all singing and dancing too. We lamented our dubious singing abilities during the walk back to our hotel, a stroll that commenced with our feet crunching over much of that and many previous evening’s crockery in the lane as the brilliant panoply of stars overhead illuminated our way.
Hotel Museum and Independence
We were staying at the Renucci family’s 19th century Hotel Mare e Monti. Monsieur Renucci is very proud of his home; one floor has been preserved as a museum from Napoleon III’s period, with the original furniture, carpets, wallpaper and objets d’art. Ask nicely and M. Renucci will regale you with stories of his family’s fascinating history. Be sure to buy some of the wine and olive oil produced on his estate – they’re a taste sensation!
There is much evidence of Corsica’s dual personality everywhere. Many road signs and directions are in French and also in Corsican - a hybrid of Italian and French. Many Corsicans still speak the Corsican dialect and many favour independence from France.
There are many newer smaller seaside resorts tucked in tiny bays between the mountainous outcrops. Porto is well worth a visit. I stood on the small balcony of my hotel as the last glowing slivers of the sun, perfectly framed by the rocks, dipped over the horizon on the strangely still sea. I have never seen such a stunning end to a day.
The island has a wealth of hidden treasure. On my next visit I will make a point of visiting the south to explore the prehistoric sites around Sartène. I was told of huge menhir stone statues and dolmen built by the early settlers, many featuring human faces. I wonder how closely they resemble the fiercely proud modern Corsicans. One thing we can be sure of… the ancient Corsicans would have regularly feasted on wild boar, but just how would they have served it up?
Martin Mayhew - I'm an Englishman living in Croatia since 2003. I have a background in journalism, print production, and work as a freelancer in graphic ...
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