The beautiful Bastia is the principle port on
the island of Corsica and is the chief town in the Haute-Corse department. This town
lies at the northern end of the east coast and was founded by the Genoese in
1380 and protected by a formidable bastion.
Bastia was the capital of Corsica until 1811 when Napolean transferred
this distinction to his hometown of Ajaccio.
The best way to
start a tour of this picturesque town is to take a stroll through the old town,
a fishing village by the name of Terra Vecchia.
Have fun getting lost amongst the maze of narrow lanes and tall, closely
packed houses in Italian style. Off the
Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville, you will find the former Cathedral of
St-Jean-Baptiste (16th century) with its magnificent twin towers. The chapels of the St-Roch (1604) and Immaculate
Conception (1611) are lavishly decorated.
Another major
site in Bastia is the Genoese Citadel, completed in 1530 after almost 200 years
of construction. Within the inner
courtyard are two interesting museums, the Museum of Corsican Ethnography, with
material on the history of the island, and a Military Museum. Also within the Citadel walls is the palace
of the Genoese governor.
If you are in Bastia in March, be sure to catch the
annual St Joseph's Procession. Also
worth a trip is the Cap Corse, the beautiful peninsula that stretches north of
Bastia.
