Corsica is plain sailing –if you travel there by ship
There are no signs of life as we leave the train station and walk into the village. But then we see the jolly red awning of Bar des Amis – and it’s open.
Soon we are drinking coffee at one of the outside tables while the tolling of a distant church bell wafts up the valley. It’s nine o’clock on a Sunday morning in deepest Corsica, and Bocognano is just waking up.
Back at the station, a two-carriage train, delayed by wandering sheep, arrives to take us back down the single track – a rattling hour of mountain and sea views to Ajaccio where our ship, La Belle Des Oceans, is docked.
A holiday on Corsica has huge appeal but the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean can be a pain to get to by air. So this one-week cruise, a round-trip from Nice, is just the ticket – and likely to be more popular than ever after this month’s cinema release of Ridley Scott’s epic Napoleon, covering the French leader’s life from his childhood on the island.
La Belle Des Oceans is home to 65 comfortable cabins, just eight of them with balconies.
This is old-fashioned cruising. There are set dining times, a pianist in the lounge, cocktail-making and a talent show by the crew. But the destinations are what we are here for, not the dazzling life on board.
Our early start for the trip into the mountains was possible thanks to the itinerary reserving two days for Ajaccio, the island’s capital. This is more than enough time to wander up to the citadel, the Baroque cathedral and past the house where Napoleon was born.
On the way down we stop off at Palais Fesch, a handsome mansion with its own chapel, housing the art collection accumulated by the emperor’s uncle. He was a cardinal with a good eye for Renaissance art, including masterful works by Botticelli and Titian.
In Bonifacio, at Corsica’s southernmost tip, it is a leg-stretching climb from the harbour up zig-zagging steps to the old town, after which we take a clifftop walk beyond the city walls with the hazy outline of Sardinia visible across the strait.
On the southwestern coast, Porto Vecchio’s popularity with rich Italians is reflected in smart restaurants and chic shops. Sailing north, along the east coast, we arrive at Bastia. We ramble round the old port and up the grand staircase to Romieu Garden, home to a glorious view over the town that stretches to the island of Elbe.
Later, we jump on the bus to Erbalunga for a swim on the village’s pebbly beach. From L’Ile Rousse, it is a 45-minute bonerattler on the tram-like train to Calvi, a ritzy resort since the 1920s.
There is enough time to visit the 13th Century citadel, with its backdrop of snowy mountains, before clickety-clacking back along the glorious coast.
CroisiEurope’s seven-night
Corsica Cruise, a round-trip from Nice, sails weekly between May and October, with cruise-only fares from €2,825pp. Price includes meals and drinks (croisieurope. co.uk).