Ajaccio

a beguiling mix of cultures and pleasures

The approach into cosmopolitan Ajaccio is truly dramatic. As you fly low past the ‘Iles Sanguinaires’, the ochre-coloured houses of the capital’s old town can be seen across a vast bay, fringed by palm-lined avenues and elegant Italianate streets shaded by plane trees. Wandering along the harbour-front or just sampling local fare at one of the town’s many restaurants, it is easy to fall for Ajaccio’s manifold charms. With beautiful beaches just south at Porticcio, Ajaccio is a truly beguiling mix of culture and sophisticated pleasures.

While Corsica was living drama after another, falling under the blows of the invaders and rising to tear itself, Ajaccio led an almost quiet life. Until its conquest by Sampiero Corso in 1553, it was reserved to the Genoese. Finally in 1592, Corsican set there. Ajaccio considerably grew in the 18th century and inherited the title of capital of Corsica. Then the city grew. Men shaped it according to his needs and not only to his desires anymore.

Nevertheless, this city which fathered one of the big conquerators of history is not agressive tempered. It does not dominate the visitor but seduces him with its charms with, in the same time a smiling nonchalance.