| Corsica ((co)Corsica) | |
 | |
| Information | |
| Country |  France |
|---|---|
| Regional capital | Ajaccio (Aiacciu) |
| Area | 8 680 km² |
| Population | 260 196 hab. (1999) |
| Density | 29,98 inhab./km² |
| Telephone prefix | 33 4 |
| Spindle | UTC 01:00, UTC 02:00 |
| Location | |
 42 ° 9 ′ 0 ″ N 9 ° 5 ′ 0 ″ E | |
| Official site | |
The Corsica is an island and a region french located in the Mediterranean Sea, in the south-east of the country and in the west ofItaly.
Understand
Island with an eventful past (and present), Corsica "often conquered, never subjugated" was pisan, Genoese, independent, then under English supervision before being currently French since 1768. It enjoys a particular constitutional status.
Mountain in the sea, Corsica is also called Island beauty, not without reason. The diversity of its landscapes and the good preservation of these vis-à-vis real estate or tourist attacks, make it one of the pearls of the Mediterranean. The centers of tourist interest in Corsica are essentially linked to nature: sea (beach, scuba diving, water sports), mountain (hiking, with the famous GR20), horseback riding in the bush and by the sea, parachute jump, etc. There are also some historic buildings of interest, churches, citadels, Roman ruins, and a few rare museums in large cities.
Regions
The region is subdivided into two departments:
 42 ° 9 ′ 0 ″ N 9 ° 4 ′ 48 ″ E Map of Corsica regions |
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Cities
Upper Corsica
- 1 Aleria
- 2 Bastia
- 3 Calvi
- 4 Cervione
- 5 Corte
- 6 L'Île-Rousse
- 7 Rogliano
- 8 Saint-Florent
Corse-du-Sud
Villages
- Piana
- Galeria
- Luri
- Isolaccio-di-fiumorbu
- Tarco
- Figari
- Solenzara
- Grossa
- Belvedere-Campomoro
- Olmeto
- Tizzano
- Grosseto
- Zonza
- Sotta
- Zicavo
- Algajola
- Calacuccia
Other destinations
- 1 The Gulf of Porto (Accessible by the coast road from Ajaccio and Calvi, by a pass and the Niolo valley from Corte.) – Site classified at Unesco World Heritage, the famous "calanches" of Piana, to the nature reserve of Scandola.
Speak
The official language is French, but it is still often spoken Corsica, a Latin language, related to Tuscan. Italian will be very useful and much better received than English, which is not widely used, even among young people.
Linguistic differences (pronunciation, spelling, words / expressions ...) exist between Haute-Corse and Corse du Sud due to the variety of dialects present on the island.
To go
On a boat
If you are on the Mediterranean rim (Provence, Côte d'Azur, Italy), a quick and easy solution is the NGV (High Speed Ship): 2 h 45 - 3 h 30 journey of Nice towards Calvi, L'Île-Rousse, Ajaccio and Bastia, with the joy of admiring the Corsican coast and arriving almost in the city center. It is also possible to take normal ferries from Marseilles, Nice and Toulon aboard the companies La Méridionale, Corsica Ferries or SNCM.
- Corsica Ferries – From Nice and of Toulon for Porto-Vecchio, Ajaccio, Bastia, L'Île-Rousse - From Livorno for Bastia, L'Île-Rousse - From Savona for Bastia. Initially for the Sardinia: since Ajaccio for Porto Torres and of Porto-Vecchio either for Golfo Aranci or Porto Torres
- La Méridionale – From Marseilles for Ajaccio, Bastia and Propriano. From the Sardinia since Porto Torres until Propriano
- SNCM – From Marseilles for Ajaccio, Bastia, L'Île-Rousse, Porto-Vecchio. From the Sardinia at Porto Torres: for Ajaccio and Porto-Vecchio
- Moby Lines – For Bastia from Genoa, Livorno, Piombino - For Bonifacio from S. T. di Gallura Sardinia. Mainland journeys are shorter fromItaly and often less expensive.
By plane
On the plane side, there are 4 airports on the island: Ajaccio, Bastia, Calvi and Figari (next to Porto-Vecchio). In addition, few things, apart from car rental, are planned at airports to reach the big cities. Shuttles can be set up during school holidays. The airports of the island are served from mainland France by the companies Air France and Air Corsica.
Upper Corsica
- 1 Bastia (Bastia-Poretta Airport) – Bastia-Poretta Airport
- 2 Calvi (Calvi-Sainte-Catherine Airport) – Calvi Sainte-Catherine Airport
South Corsica
- 3 Ajaccio (Ajaccio Napoleon Bonaparte Airport) – Ajaccio Napoleon Bonaparte Airport
- 4 Bonifacio/Porto-Vecchio (Figari South Corsica Airport) – Figari Sud-Corse Airport
Good plan
In France, a cheap solution is to take a plane 'low cost' for Pisa (Ryanair operates a CRL-PSA / Charleroi-Pise line as well as a Beauvais-Pise), join Livorno speak train Pisa → Livorno Centrale and take the boat to Bastia (Corsica Ferries) ... plus a few buses to connect everything.
If we want to get to Conca to attack the GR20 from the south, you can take the Blue Rapids at 200 meters from the arrival of the boat to reach Santa Lucia di Porti Vechju where we will call the shuttle from the gîte Conca (Phone. 33 4 95 71 46 55).
Circulate
By car
As public transport is poorly developed, the ideal remains to have a personal vehicle. You can come with it via the ferry, or take a rental car. Many car rental agencies can be found in the centers of the big cities of the island as well as at the airports, although in the city center you will be hard pressed to find them open all day.
Please note, gasoline is not on sale in supermarkets; therefore remember to always have a reserve with you.
By train
The main line connects Bastia at Ajaccio (4 h distance). To this is added a branch from Ponte Leccia and which allows matches for L'Île-Rousse and Calvi. Beyond its usefulness as transport, this line offers magnificent views of the landscapes of the interior. Please note, SNCF cards and reductions are not accepted, as the lines are operated by the CFC.
- Corsican Railways Bastia (calvi)
- Hours
By bus
Regular bus lines cover much of the island. An (unofficial) site lists the timetables for the various connections: http://www.corsicabus.org/Coach journeys allow you to see many very different things and not miss anything of the island of beauty, tourists prefer the coach tour with Guide for information on each region.
Make
- Corsica is a land of nature and culture, it is important to respect it, some professionals have recently offered an alternative to mass tourism, taking into account respect for the environment and the economic development of the region.
- Watch (without touching!) The great diversity of plants present on the different types of sites, some of which are specific to the island
- Go and meet the Corsicans, they are the soul of their island, far from received ideas.
- Sunbathe on the sandy beaches or swim in the river.
- 2 Long-distance hiking trail 20 (The GR20) – The GR20 winds from Calenzana (near Calvi) at Conca (near Porto-Vecchio). Crossing the island through the mountains in 15 stages.
- Other hikes: Mare a mare, Mare e monti, for example.
- Corsica tour by boat – From sailboat to kayak. Discover the Lavezzi Islands.
- Scuba diving: Corsica has many remarkable sites, including beautiful wrecks.
- Windsurf in Corsica on the most beautiful spots with crystal clear waters
- Learn kitesurfing in Corsica
Buy
Corsica is famous for its crafts. On the one hand, you will find models of knives made from olive wood with very specific shapes such as the Vendetta or the shepherd's knife.In addition, the use of coral in jewelry and other artistic creations is very present in the shops, because the funds of the island have always been rich in very bright red corals.
- Cold meats (coppa, lonzo, figatteli), Jams (mandarin, fig), Biscuits (Canistrelli, Frappes) are always appreciated by your friends.
Eat
Housing
Several accommodation solutions are available in Corsica.
Holiday rents
You can rent a villa in Corsica. Remember that a rental in Corsica will ask you for the same guarantees as a rental on the continent: deposit, cleaning, etc ... Here is a small list of sites that can help you:
Hotels
There are around 400 hotels in Corsica, ranging from 1 to 5 stars. The majority of them are classified as 2 and 3 stars. They are unfortunately unevenly distributed. As soon as you sink into the land or move away from the major tourist centers, it is better to favor the many campsites, holiday residences, rural lodges or guest rooms in which you will receive a welcome worthy of Corsica. However, in recent years, hotels in central Corsica have been developing and improving, such as in Corte, Venaco, Quenza, Zonza, etc ...
Be careful though to remember to book in advance in summer (in August, hotels are often full) to be sure you have a choice, or if not, wait until the very last minute. Generally in Corsica you can find fairly interesting early booking offers (book early) through Tour Operators and travel agencies, otherwise you have to wait for so-called "VdM" offers or "last minute sales" to try to have discounted rooms. Note that in the context of last minute sales, if you can have attractive discounts, you do not necessarily have the choice of which hotel will accommodate you: these are often take it or leave it!
Guest rooms
Another possibility also, farm inns or even recently bed and breakfast.
Learn
The Corsican language is not a difficult language to learn, especially if you have already learned Italian.
It is possible to buy the dictionary in Corsican language at the newsagents of the island.
security
The roads are sometimes narrow and often winding. It is therefore necessary to adapt its speed to the axes used.
Corsica is a region where animals often roam free. You can quite often meet cows, bulls, goats or pigs / wild boars on the roads. The show is always nice but beware, at night you can meet these animals across the road, so go calm.
Semi-wild pigs seem very nice, nevertheless do not hand feed them, without nastiness they can mistake your hand for the kindly offered snack. If you see young, do not stand between them and their mother, at the risk of being loaded.
Health
Corsica is made up of two French departments. There are all the usual health services. In the event of a serious problem that cannot be treated on site, there are medical planes available. Ajaccio and Bastia always available for a quick transfer to the mainland.
Respect
Corsicans are generally sensitive when it comes to their identity like the Corsican people. Thus, it is better to avoid phrases like "here in France" or to suggest that the Corsicans are "the French".
In addition, Corsica retains a superb natural heritage. It is therefore common sense to continue to preserve nature and the Corsican coastline.
Communicate
Corsica is relatively well covered by the GSM network, apart from the mountainous areas.
Around
It is possible to go to the island italian of Sardinia, the two islands being relatively close.
