Overview

Corsica is an island of mountains, where walking and hiking have been a way of life for centuries. (These days younger islanders have added mountain biking to the regimen.) With more than 20 mountains over 6,000 feet high and scores of glacial lakes, this is a landscape meant to be seen a step at a time, notably on a number of Mare a Mare ("sea to sea") trails. And the reward for all that exertion? Ah, the pleasures of the table...this is a French island, non?

Geographically closer to Italy than France, Corsica is really its own world, holding onto cultural values rare in the modern Mediterranean. Country fairs and festivals here tend to celebrate food (notably the artisan cheeses) and traditional music (ethereal polyphonic chants), while the old quarters of Bonifacio, a fortressed city on the southern coast overlooking the island of Sardinia, are a vivid window to Corsican past.

National parks and nature reserves that cover about a third of the island are another cause for celebration. Even from offshore the island seems a part of an earlier Mediterranean from times past. The diving is remarkable, particularly on the southeast coast near Porto Vecchio (which also has some fine beaches), and cruising sailors can still find some of the last truly "hidden" coves in this well-traveled sea.

 Plan Your Trip

HIKING

On an island famous for walking paths, one route stands apart - the GR20. Completed 30 years ago, it has become one of Europe's most famous treks, a rugged 120-mile, high-mountain path extending roughly from Calvia to Porto Vecchio. Crossed by only four roads, it passes through the magnificent Parc Naturel R\u00E9gional de la Corse and stunning landscapes from forests to glacial lakes - with shelters, huts, and camping sites along the way. If you're thinking about doing the entire route, plan on being in your boots for about two weeks.

DINING

Corsicans have traditionally turned to the land, rather than the sea, for their cuisine. (In the days of invaders and pirates it tended to be safer living in the mountains than by the sea.) Which is why one of the favorite dishes on the island is roasted wild boar. Pork is also a key ingredient in charcuterie and dishes such as sanglier (a mix of meats, beans, and lentils). The island's red wines are the perfect, full-bodied match for meats and broccio, a soft cheese from sheep or goat milk; just one of many incredible cheeses made mostly by the shepherds themselves, broccio also shows up in Italian-inspired pastas, even desserts.

SHOPPING

Leave some room in your carry-on to bring home some maquis honey. With distinctive flavors born of the herb-rich underbrush whose scent pervades the Corsican air, the honeys are divided into a half-dozen, seasonal varieties. Most are strongly flavored, so if you like your honeys on the lighter side, try the spring varieties.

 Forums

 News & Events

 Related Articles