Cruising the extraordinary Island of Corsica

We spend the day in the resplendent city of Nice, exploring its ancient roots. We start with a visit to the ancient Roman site of Cemelenum founded by Augustus in order to protect the Via Julia. Here, in modern Cimiez, we visit the archaeological museum before examining the remains of the Roman baths and amphitheatre. We end the morning with a visit to the cathedral in Cimiez and the neighbouring cemetery where the artists Matisse and Dufy are buried. After lunch, we go to the Terra Amata Archaeological Site, one of the most important Lower Paleolithic sites in Europe, dating perhaps to 380,000 BC. In the late afternoon, we drive to the port of Nice where we board our ship, the MV La Belle des Océans.

We spend the morning cruising across the Ligurian sea to Corsica, taking in the crystal-clear waters, while having an informal lecture on the long and varied history of the island. In the afternoon, we dock in Ajaccio, the Phocaean Greek city named after Ajax the Lesser and later renamed Adiacium in the Roman era, but which is today most famous for being the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte, whose family arrived in the city from Genoa in the 16^th century.

Exclusive Andante excursion: In the afternoon, we make our way to the Fesch Museum, begun in 1827 by Cardinal Joseph Fesch, Napoleon’s maternal uncle, who had ambitions of establishing an Institute of Arts and Sciences in his home city. He donated a stunning collection of paintings to the museum, including works from the Italian Renaissance, notably paintings by Botticelli, Perugino, Bellini, and Titian. The palace also incorporates the tomb of Napoleon’s mother Letizia Ramolino.

We awake in Ajaccio where the ship is docked. In the afternoon, we have some free time in Ajaccio before we make our way to Bonifacio overnight.

Exclusive Andante excursion: This morning we drive to the most extraordinary of Corsica’s archaeological sites, Filitosa, which is dramatically set in an ancient olive grove. Filitosa was settled in the Neolithic period, though is famed for its spectacular Bronze Age menhirs which have human features and weapons carved on them. These apotropaic menhirs were reused by later Bronze Age peoples today referred to as Torreans who built well preserved torri, or fortresses, reminiscent of Sardinian nuraghi underlining how affluent the island was in the period.

Today we find ourselves in the lovely city of Bonifacio, located on the southern tip of Corsica, separated just a strait away from Sardinia. The city is dominated by its citadel whose 9^th century foundations have been covered over by years of history. In the afternoon we will have a chance to enjoy its charms, visiting the citadel before we set sail in the evening for Porto Vecchio.

Exclusive Andante excursion: We travel this morning to the stunning archaeological site of Cucuruzzo, an off-the-beaten track site which encompasses a Bronze Age fortified village dating to the 12^th century BC, whose principal monument is its casteddu, or fortification, for which southern Corsica is famed. A short distance away, we visit Capula, which was inhabited until the medieval period, and which wonderfully preserves a Bronze Age fortress, giving us a precious glimpse of Corsica before the period of Genoese domination.

Having sailed through the night, today the ship is docked in Porto Vecchio, founded in the 16^th century by the Genoese as a defensive port. Today it is a fashionable destination for its charming, historical old city centre. In the afternoon, we sail to Bastia.

Exclusive Andante excursion: After breakfast, we drive to the little-known archaeological site of Ceccia, located a short distance from Porto Vecchio. Placed on a rocky spur, the site was inhabited in the Neolithic period before reaching its apogee in the Bronze Age when a torre was built, along with a circular hall. We then travel to the nearby archaeological site of Tappa, inhabited from the 4^th millennium BC and abandoned in the mid-2^nd millennium, in the middle Bronze Age. This site is again dominated by a circular torre, with an adjacent rectangular corridor.

This morning we find ourselves docked in Bastia, a city which contained the Roman city of Cardo, and which was developed in the Genoese period. Today it is Corsica’s principal port, known for its wine. In the afternoon we travel to the Terra Nova citadel, with an optional visit to the Museum of Bastia, set in the old palace of the Genoese governor and which includes artefacts from antiquity. Tonight, we sail to L’Ile Rousse.

Exclusive Andante excursion: After breakfast on board our ship, we drive along the Eastern Coast of Corsica, which was colonised, in turn, by Phocaean Greeks, Etruscans and Romans, and visit the Roman site of Aleria, called Alalia by the Phocaeans. Taken over by Romans after the First Punic War, Aleria was developed by Sulla after which it flourished until the late antique period. Near the site, we visit the Jérôme Carcopino Museum which testifies to the site’s rich history, with artefacts from the Iron Age, Greek, Etruscan, and Roman periods.

On our last morning in Corsica, we land at L’Ile Rousse, dubbed Rubico Rocega in the Roman period and which later developed as a fortress in the 18^th century by the Corsican patriot Pasquale Paoli who fought against Genoese domination. We drive a short distance to Calvi, a city established in the Genoese period and famous for being the site of notable sieges, including Nelson’s capture of the city in which he lost his eye. Our visit centres around the evocative 13^th century fortress with its historic, cobbled streets, dominated by the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. In the afternoon, we sail to Nice.

Time permitting, we will continue our exploration of Nice before taking our return flight to London.