CORSE DU SUD

GENERAL INFORMATION

The Southern half of the Course ( Corsica) region is the department of Course du Sud, the Northern half of Corse is Haute-Corse.

HISTORY

The department was formed on September 15, 1975, when the Corse department was divided into Haute-Corse and Corse-du-Sud. Its boundaries correspond to the former département of Liamone, which existed from 1793 to 1811.

THINGS TO DO AND SEE

With its choice of fabulous beaches concentrated along the south east coast, Polombaggia with its turquoise sea reigns as the most beguilingly beautiful. However, be warned the beaches do tend to be fairly spread out between the twin big pulls of Bonifaccio and Porto-Vecchio and driving is the only viable option to reach either of them.

To the south is the busy, noisy white splashed town of Ajaccio where Napoléon Bonaparte was born. Maison Bonaparte is full of memorabilia, and despite the fact that he never returned after crowning himself Emperor in 1804, the town proudly celebrates his birthday every 15 August.

At the northern end of the département, Porto has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site with good reason. Although the village now has its share of car parks and hotels, the old Genoese tower, pretty beaches and spectacular Mediterranean sunsets make it a “must see”. From Porto, the scenery along the coast to Piana along Les Calanche is stunning, with views of the deep inlets and red granite cliffs. There are marked walking trails among the pines and rocks.

To the south lies the Alta Rocca, a wild mountainous region, with small towns and villages built of granite. Zonza has become a bit of a tourist spot, perfect for walking, or driving up through the pine forests to the Col de Bavella. Ten kilometres to the south, Levie has a small museum, Le Musée Départemental de Levie. Open July to September, it describes the history of Corsica with exhibits from the archaeological sites at Le Castellu de Cucuruzzu and Capula.

Filitosa boasts a 400 year old life size collection of stone warriors with faces looking rather like Russian stone dolls. Cauria's three megalithic sites aren't quite so dramatic but none the less worth a visit. Both serve to give much more of an idea of Corsica’s antiquity and how far back it reaches.

Four kilometres to the east are Les Bains de Baracci, ancient Roman baths, known for their hot, sulphurous waters, reopened in 1992. On the coast, there are boat trips around the Gulf of Valinco and some good beaches of find sand at Porto-Pollo, Campomoro and Barachi.

Solenzara lies on the flat and gentle eastern coastline, La Costa Serena. The village lives purely from tourism and some fishing. If it gets too hot on the local beaches, it’s a pleasant drive up into the mountains and the Col de Bavella.