Wanderlust Travel Magazine (UK)
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Napoleon is 250 – here’s how to exile yourself like an emperor
So, what’s the big news with Napoleon?
Born in Ajaccio, Corsica, the former French emperor has a special birthday coming up. This year marks the 250th anniversary of his birth (15 August 1769) and Corsica is putting out the balloons with an exciting calendar of events.
What’s happening?
Lots of things. Ajaccio’s Palais Fesch Museum – famous for its collection of Italian art – has been lighting up with new exhibitions exploring the art-loving Bonaparte family. In Calvi, a celebration dedicated to the five senses will be taking place: think firework displays (15 August) and botanical tours of an island with a scent that Napoleon said he could recognise with his eyes closed.
OK, where should I begin?
Travel in the young Napoleon’s footsteps and lose yourself in the colourful streets of Ajaccio’s old town. Admire the baroque cathedral and find your way to the Maison Bonaparte – Napoleon’s birthplace and now a national museum. Exhibits illustrate life in 18th-century Corsica while giving an insight into the future leader’s family and upbringing.
Do I need to go to Corsica?
Not necessarily. Napoleon conquered most of Central Europe until his defeat at Waterloo. In Belgium, there will be a two-day event to mark the anniversaries of both Napoleon and the Duke of Wellington – also born in 1769 – at the Waterloo Memorial 1815 (17-18 August). Discover more about the two foes, and delve into the lives of 18th-century civilians and soldiers with military displays on Lion’s Mound, as well as leather tanning, basket weaving and embroidery sessions.