Stunning half moon bays, amazing beaches and picture postcard pretty villages is what
Corsica is all about. If there was heaven on earth it is
Corsica, the last of the untarnished areas of the Mediterranean with its varied coast, wild unspoilt dense shrub filled interiors, rocky coves, rugged cliffs covered in chestnut and pine forests, valleys full of olive groves, the steep climbs and hairpin bends that put even the best of drivers to the test.
Corsica has steep mountains which are snow capped for the better part of the year. The mountains are covered with juniper, laurel, broom, myrtle, and other rugged plants growing dense and thick in tandem with thyme, sage, lavender, cistus, and asphodel which is where Corsican cooking gets its spicy tang from. Put together a little bit of Italy and some of France and blend in the detached gritty attitude that belongs to neither and you pretty much have a cocktail called
Corsica.
Located in the gulf of Genoa about 99 miles or 160 kilometers off the southern coast of France,
Corsica is in fact closer to Italy at 50 miles.
Corsica belonged to the Italians right up to 1768 when it was bought by France.
Corsica is sub-divided in to 2 zones namely, Corse-du-Sud and Haute-Corse. Corse-du-Sud is home to the modern town of
Ajaccio. Statues of Napoleon dot the place while the south-east boasts turquoise waters and gorgeous sandy beaches between the towns of Porto-Vecchio and Bonifaccio. The island’s history can be read from the stone warriors in Filitosa and the megaliths at Cauria.
In Haute-Corse one finds busy markets and a network of passages all leading in and out of Italianate
Bastia. Sun worshippers come in droves to Calvi which was once a Mecca for the jetsetters of the world. L’lle Rouse is a busy little port which also houses trendy shops amidst the palms adding to the allure of
Corsica.
Corsicans put family above everyone else. Although a friendly lot they are reserved with strangers and newcomers. They speak Corsu which is quite similar to Italian and today there are many who work to keep the local language alive.
Corsica has a per square kilometer population ratio of only 30. More than 60% of the population is concentrated in the towns and the interiors are quite under populated. Agriculture is their mainstay.
For a long time the French government ignored this little island and it was only in 1998 that the assassination of the
Ajaccio Prefet Claude Erignac acted as an alarm for the French government. Since the island was almost uncared for and corruption was rampant, the people had an unsettling relationship with the mainland. The main reason for this was the pride that the Corsicans have in their culture, their traditions and their language.
Today,
Corsica is heavily subsidized by the EU and the French government. They have garnered exemption from contribution to social security and financial companies are offered attractive fiscal incentives to set up their establishments. Agriculture and tourism are the two main industries where almonds, kiwis, olive oil, chestnuts and clementines form the bulk of the exports.
