Background of the Region
Corsica is a dream come true! There's so much going on all over this beautiful Mediterranean island that it’s small wonder people flock there to live and to holiday.
Yet is has never succumbed to development on the same scale as other parts of the Mediterranean and whilst tourism is key to its economy it still remains relatively unspoiled.
Although “autonomy” for Corsica is never far from the thoughts of many natives, the majority of the island’s inhabitants are opposed to full independence and so it always remains a protected region of France.
Corsica packs a lot into its modest dimensions of 176km long and 85km wide. It is rugged and mountainous rising to 2,706m and this is a major part of the island’s very special geographical characteristics, plus there are extensive forests of pines, evergreen oaks, cork trees, beeches and chestnuts.
It possess an exceptional lushness boasting over 2000 plant species, 68 fish species and 127 aquatic bird species, protected within no fewer than five of France’s leading land and sea nature reserves.
Olives, grapes, oranges and lemons are grown in abundance and together with wine, oil and fish are among the island community’s chief exports. Also it’s the home of some of the finest granites and marbles, which find their way into buildings throughout the world.
Corsica was first colonised by the Phoenicians around 100BC, then in turn it was occupied by the Romans, Vandals, Goths, Franks, Saracens, Pisans and Genoese. As a consequence it is rich in monuments, treasures and relics from its glorious past.
But it is the island’s glorious present, its way of life and its vibrant inheritance that makes it the great success it is today. In fact it has quite rightly been described as Europe’s “Mecca” because of its diverse range of sporting, cultural and gastronomic attributes.
As you would expect in an island environment with a mountainous interior, its sport and leisure embraces multifarious activities. So there is an abundance of sailing and scuba diving around the coast’s pristine blue waters starkly contrasted with climbing and skydiving in the higher regions. There is a growing number of skydiving schools across the island where there is top class training for learners and professionals alike.
Corsica has an abundance of traditional urban and rural fairs whose history literally spans many centuries from which stems much of the island’s authentic, generous cuisine. Naturally, fresh fish, lobster and aziminu, the Corsican bouillabaisse, are the staple diet while other significant food ingredients include the island’s world- renowned charcuterie and various pork products including figatelli, prisutti and salcicce.
Its lively modern culture, too, is a direct inheritance from its historic past and profoundly expressed in the depth and breadth of its music, voices and crafts. You will never forget the “paghjelle”, a fiery three-voice singing style that intoxicates the evening air.
There is an adequate and, at times, spectacular road network linking the main towns of Ajaccio, Bastia, Corte, Porto Vecchio and Sartene and the principal airports where regular flights will take you to the UK, mainland France and other parts of Europe.
But many prefer to take the Trinighellu Corsica’s excellent railway system that will carry you through the island’s spectacular mountains, valleys and along the coastline at a sedate maximum speed of 83km an hour. Its very special railway ambiance is unique to Corsica because of its historical past dating back to 1888. Its network covers a modest 157.4km yet it rises at one point to 1,161m, has 76 bridges and viaducts and a total of 32 tunnels – one of them 3,916 miles long.
