Corsica

Corsica the island of beauty -shows its visitors a varying landscape: high mountains with dense woods and valleys with torrential mountain creeks inside, and a steep rocky shore, next to inviting sandy beaches on the coast.

Corsica is 8681 square kilometres large, has 250000 inhabitants and is the fourth biggest island in the Mediterranean.

One of the most popular tours goes around the 'Cap Corse' , usually you drive on a road high up, you can't go near to the beach, because the rock walls fall steeply into the water. It is a beautiful tour, as you drive again and again through little picturesque villages.

Political and economic situation

Corsica is a part of France, but the new administration-law of the French government in Paris gives Corsica greater independence in culture and economy. There is no industry in Corsica. Most of the necessary goods must be imported from France and Italy. Tourism and agriculture are very important. The Corsican artists and handicraft sell its products mainly to the tourists.

History

259 the Romans began to conquer Corsica.

1284 Corsica fell to Genoa in the naval battle near Meloria. 1769 Corsica fell to France, in Ajaccio Napoleon was born. 1894 the railwayroute Ajaccio -Bastia was opened.

1914- 1918. Corsica suffered big casualties, during the first worldwar.

Ajaccio

The capital of Corsica has an interesting history. The Romans founded Ajaccio as 'Ajacium'. The Genoese, who took possession of Corsica, forbade the Corsicans to enter Ajaccio. That led to the town being occupied by the corsican freedomfighter Sampiero Corso and his pals in 1553 and then the town was surrendered to France.

Five years later the Genoese took Ajaccio from them again. Ajaccio didn't belong definitly to France until 1768. One year later Napoleon Buonaparte was born there.

It was Napoleon, who made Ajaccio the capital of Corsica and made it famous. A lot of places were named after him. For example: streets, a museum, a grotto. Some sights in Ajaccio: several monuments to Napoleon Napoleons birthhouse

venetian baroque cathedral an old port

the 'Place Foch'

the cathedral 'Notre Dame de la Misericordie

Bastia

The Genoese made a wellknown harbour from a insignificant fishing village, Bastia would be the seat of the governor and of the bishops and with that the capital of Corsica. Until Napoleon changed it.

Some sights in Bastia: Place St. -Nicolas

an old genoese port

Zitadelle from the 15th century Governor Palace

a late gothic cathedral

the pilgrimagechurch Ste -Lucie

Calvi

Cavi lies in a beautiful bay, framed by mountains and is towered over by a genoese Zitadelle. The lower part of the town with its yacht port is very lively in the summer. The rockcoast, which is rich in grottos, is popular with divers, but there are also numerous little sandy bays. Behind the Zitadelle lies a narrow old town, which is gradually dying. A rumour says that Christoph Columbus was born in the Zitadelle of Calvi, but nobody knows whether that is true. Sights in Calvi: the Zitadelle

the yachtport

the narrowness down-town

VOCABULARY LIST

torrential. reißend

conquer. erobern

naval battle. Seeschlacht

pilgrimagechurch. Wallfahrtskirche

administration-law. Verwaltungsgesetz economy. Wirtschaft

handicraft. Kunsthandwerk

framed umrahmt