Ajaccio's beaches, what to see and what to do in beautiful Corsica, France. In the post many tips on activities not to be missed while traveling to Ajaccio.
Ajaccio, capital of Corsica, encompasses various aspects of the island, while remaining partially detached from it. The first Genoese and then Napoleonic traces mark it deeply, making it somewhat different from the Corsican villages, both coastal and inland.
The date of foundation is already significant: 1492. While Columbus is discovering the Indies (oops ... America), Ajaccio was founded by the Genoese on the western coasts of Corsica, in a strategic position, which colonize the area with their own inhabitants. The central nucleus of the city is born, the narrow streets (the Genoese alleys become carrughij Corsicans) that intertwine around the small port. It is the historic core of the city, the one from which everything started, including Napoleon.
In fact, among the streets of Genoese Ajaccio we find the birthplace of the most famous of the gods Bonaparte, today it can be visited as a museum, with special agreements if you are a customer of the brewery of the same name.
We can tour more than half the city even just wanting to see all the Napoleonic statues scattered in various squares, or indirect references such as the high school-museum Fesch (his uncle cardinal and possible natural father) or collecting the signs of commercial activities that make clear and direct referring to himself.
However, it is a "love of interest", in fact very commercial: Bonaparte was not very tender with his countrymen once he became emperor and needed to quell Corsican desires for independence. Underneath the memory remains, but even in this case pecunia non olet ...
Far more loved, without any wrong, remains Pascal Paoli, hero of Corsican independence, to whom however we find only one statue as a tribute, near the entrance to the Citadel.
The latter, a sort of castle between the port now dedicated to Tino Rossi and the beach of San Francesco, unfortunately cannot be visited, as it is a military area.
An itinerary to visit what we have talked about could take between half a day and a full day. Another half day could be spent in beach, to be chosen among the countless possibilities that present themselves on the coast.
An interesting alternative could be to book a boat visit at Sanguinaires Islands, at the end of the promontory that closes the Ajaccio golf course to the north. On average, the excursions last a few hours and cost around € 40, with an aperitif on board.
By dedicating more days to the Corsican capital, you have the opportunity to dedicate yourself to longer boat excursions, such as a visit to the natural reserve of Shingle or to the city of Bonifacio in the far south; or stay in the Gulf of Ajaccio and enjoy beaches that are more or less crowded but always well maintained and with an absolutely crystalline sea, even a stone's throw from the center.
In the evening, the most interesting area is the most historic, around the port, where you can sit at the tables of the outdoor restaurants to enjoy the typical cuisine; the specialties based on boar and the countless varieties of mussels proposals.
Beyond the characteristic dinner and the healthy walk to the port or the promenade, however, the possibilities for evening entertainment run out quite quickly. Except on Friday, the only day on which non-food shops remain open even in the evening.
