Visit Bastia in Corsica

Go on a journey with Shepherd entertainment and discover the sites and wonders of Bastia in Corsica.

The next destination of our journey also lies on the sea coast. The second biggest city of the island, Bastia was built on the ground of the Roman cardo which commemorates its ancestors from the antiquity with the villa district. Its present day name was given after the Italian word, bastalya meaning watchtower or bastion. The bastions in the fortress walls were built by the Genoans. They soon made the city their territorial capital. A significant industry was developed here. This is where the iron ore mined on the island of Elba was processed. Due to this Bastia was the only city in Corsica that was hit by a bomb in World War II. Although Bastia is still a significant economic center, tourism is also increasingly important. Its new harbor was built especially for big ferries which link Corsica to the harbors of Italy and France. Airports can also be found in Ajaccio and in Bastia. The center of the city is a St. Nicholas Square close to the harbor. Every morning on the large square, a flea market is held. Otherwise, it’s framed by shopping streets and intimate cafes with wicker chairs on the terraces. We can have a good café ole here or we can try something less common like the cedar liquor or the myrtle spirits. A customary Napoleon statue stands on the square next to several other monuments. It’s the artwork of Martolini. To the south, the impressive block of the Hotel de Vie, the city hall closes the square. The layout of streets and squares seems French. In the case of the residents of the island and their language, it’s not so obvious. Although most of the locals speak the literary French language, the Corsican language used for communication between them everyday contains many more Italian and Iberian elements. The centuries old Italian most Genoan influences are still living for instance in the pronunciation of place names. As far as the people are concerned, their temperament is definitely southern. Mediterranean. Still, it’s different from both Italian and French. They’re still proud of their Corsican origin and the separation from France at least in soul is not out of the question for them. The baroque church of John the Baptist faces the old harbor. It’s lavishly ornamented inside, decorated with gold plates and stuccos was formed in the 18th century. Its frescoes offer a misleading three dimensional experience. Its organ is the work of the – brothers. In the summers, it’s played by world famous artists. The old harbor is perhaps the most colorful spot of the entire island. It’s narrow, intimate and busy. Looking back from the light tower of the famous dragon mole, we have the best view of the medley mix of fishing boats, little boats and luxury yachts and the two towered church rising magnificently behind them. We can take beautiful pictures of the little poor but scenic houses hiding behind the forest of masts from the park stretching on the slope of the castle hill also. The old harbor of Bastia is the dream of photographers. We can see many professional and amateur painters at work. On stairs and steep winding streets framed by old houses, we can reach the citadel. Inside this, stands the watchtower after which the city was named. In the old governor’s palace, the richest ethnographic museum of Corsica has been established. The famous silver group of statues depicting the ascension of Virgin Mary is kept in the three knave cathedral. Near to this watchtower are the directorates of all the museums of the island. Next to the wonderworking Black Cross Chapel, they still show the house in which Victor Hugo lived as a child whose father served as an army officer in the garrison of Bastia. The cross itself floating in the water was found by two fishermen in the 1400s. Probably, it originates from wrecked ship. There’s no proof for its wonderworking nature. In spite of this, many people go on pilgrimages to this place and on the 3rd of May, a big festival is held in its honor. For four centuries, the palace of the governor of Genoa stood here and the seat of the Corsican council of Louis XV was also here. The gate was renovated in honor of the visit of Louis XVI. A steep road climbs up to the hanging gardens and the old gunpowder tower. Along the eastern coast of the island, in 1943, the ship was sunk on which German General Rumolt transported his robbed treasure. Although they tried to rescue it after the war, the treasures could not be retrieved and returned to their rightful owner, the Italian national bank.