Corsica - did you know?

10 interesting facts about Corsica

• In 1769, Napolean Bonaparte was born in Ajaccio, Corsica

Napolean Bonaparte, born in Corsica

• Corsica's coastline stretches for some 1000km, a third of this is beaches

The Bonifacio coastline, Corse-du-Sud

• Corsica is officially a French region and is split between Haute-Corse and Corse-du-Sud

Haute-Corse and Corse-du-Sud

• Monte Cinto, the highest mountain on the island is 2710m tall, twice the height of Ben Nevis!

Monte Cinto, Haute-Corse, Corsica

• French is the first language, however Corsican (Corsu) also exists and is taught in schools

Corsican language is widely spoken on the island

• Food specialities include: Brocciu (cheese), Figatellu (pork), Fiaddone (cheese cake) and Miel (honey)

Figatellu, a Corsica speciality of dried pork sausage

• Corte, the former capital of Corsica (when it was independent), has the only inland citadel on the island

Corte, home to the University of Corsica and independent movement

• In July & August, temperatures often hit mid-30's with 12 hours of sunshine on average each day

Sunbathing on a beach in Corsica, 300km of beaches

• Cuisine tends to be influenced by France & Italy but also features traditional Corsican dishes

A Corsican restaurant in l'Ile Rousse, Haute-Corse

• Watersports readily available include: jet-skiing, water-skiing, wind-surfing, kite-surfing, sea kayaking

Windsurfing and waterports in Corsica

Hope you found these facts of interest, feel free to RT or Like on Facebook!

Bonnes vacances !

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Auberge A Magina, Oletta

First class cuisine and the view...

The village of Oletta, in north-eastern Corsica (Haute-Corse), is a 10 minute drive from St Florent, 30 minutes from Bastia and just a stone's throw from the magnificent Cap Corse. This traditional Corsican village retains much of its authentic charm thanks to old stone buildings and a relaxed pace of life.

Village of Oletta (Haute-Corse), enjoys commanding views over the Gulf of Saint-Florent

Oletta has a gem of a restaurant in the Auberge A Magina, at the north-western corner of the village. From the outside, on the small village road which passes the restaurant, you might be mistaken for thinking this is just a run-of-the-mill Corsican eatery, however set foot inside and you're warmly welcomed by a friendly and efficient team and treated to the most breathtaking, panoramic views across the valley as far as the sea in the Gulf of St Florent. By far one of the most amazing and unforgettable restaurant settings I've ever experienced, the sunsets are remarkable, "Mamma Mia bellissima!"

View from the terrace at sunset - Auberge A Magina in Oletta, Haute-Corse

The menu predominantly features Corsican dishes; unpretentious and home-cooked using largely local produce and presented with flashes of flair. I personally consider it to be reasonably priced; set menus are available as well as the 'carte' and I'd bank on spending around 25€-40€ per head, not including drinks. An extensive wine list featuring some excellent wines produced in nearby Patrimonio completes the picture.

Fish starter with white Corsican wine

The restaurant doesn't have a website, but Google does bring up this review site (in French) and another one. Tripadvisor doesn't have any entries which I find surprising.

To summarise, if you're staying in or around Oletta, St Florent, Bastia or the Cap Corse and fancy somewhere special to eat out, definitely consider a visit to Auberge A Magina.

Bon Appetit!

Auberge A Magina
Le Village
20232 Oletta
Tel: 0033 (0)4 95 39 39 01

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Corsica - more updates coming

Working on new content

In case anyone is following my blog, hopefully a few of you are (if not by all means sign up to receive email alerts of new posts), I'll shortly be adding a lot of new content and giving an indication of what I'd ideally like to achieve by building this site, with the assistance of a number of influential French and Corsican tourist industry professionals.

Calvi's citadel perching beneath a backdrop of mountains

This week 'en Corse'

I read a few big stories this week about life on the island, one of them reporting on a small earthquake in the sea off the Corsican coast and the other was celebrity gossip about Kate Moss spending her honeymoon on a superyacht near Corsica.

2012 Corsica Holidays

I plan to have this site finished by the end of the summer, therefore if you're planning a holiday in Corsica in 2012 (or even September/October 2011) I hope that you'll find all the information you need here.

The famous church in Patrimonio, Haute Corse

Keep watching this space and thanks for taking the time to read this far! You can email me any feedback or comments if you have any suggestions, advice or experiences you'd like to share.

If you find this Corsica website helpful, please retweet (RT) on Twitter or recommend this page on Facebook using the icon below. It will gradually help spread the word and offer others the opportunity to discover this amazing island too.

I'm also using this as an experiment to see whether social media can help to develop my idea into a business, so why not join in and be part of the experience with me? If it works, I will make sure every credit is given to those who helped.

Grazzi à tutti !

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Natural Phenomenon off the Corsican Coast

Waterspout off Corsican coast

I thought this article was rather interesting, from the Irish weather online website, which caught my attention yesterday. A local photographer captured the formation of a waterspout in the sea just off the north east coast of the island - pretty spectacular!

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