Journal — corsica
Corsica: the south, the Cap, and the mountains in between
Porto-Vecchio's sands, Bonifacio's cliffs and a mountainous interior most guests never see. Placing a Corsican villa week.
Corsica is a mountain range in the sea, and it rewards guests who accept that driving is part of the holiday. The south around Porto-Vecchio and Bonifacio holds the sand — Palombaggia, Santa Giulia, Rondinara — and most of the villa inventory. The west coast at Porto and the Gulf of Girolata is wilder and better by boat. Cap Corse in the north is empty, terraced and unfashionable, which is its own recommendation.
For a first week take the south. Figari airport is twenty minutes from Bonifacio, the beaches are the best in the Mediterranean by a wide margin, and a skipper day to the Lavezzi islands is the standout outing of any Corsican trip.
Give one day to the interior. The road up to Bavella and the Aiguilles, lunch at a mountain auberge, and a swim in the Solenzara river pools on the way down is a different island entirely from the coast.
Book June or September. In August the southern roads queue, the beach car parks fill by nine, and the villa rates roughly double. In shoulder season the same houses are calm and the sea is still warm enough to swim before breakfast.