Close your right fist, with your thumb over your fingers. Now point your index finger and you have an almost perfect representation of the island of Corsica — essentially a mountain range jutting out of the Mediterranean, whose highest peaks remain snow-capped well into the spring. The Corsican flag known locally as A bandera testa mora is everywhere: a black profile facing left with a white bandana knotted at the back. This stunning island has few museums, art galleries, cinemas or theaters.
Instead, Corsica is a destination for those who love outdoor activities: hiking, swimming, sailing, kayaking, diving and great food at the end of it all. Traditional Corsican food is more mountain than maritime.
Cheese runs the gamut from mild brocciu which is the basis for a variety of both savory and sweet dishes to extremely strong casgiu merzu or rotten cheese. And you can wash it all down with one of the local wines, which are closer in taste to Italian wines than continental French ones.
Around every corner is another jaw-dropping landscape: a stone chapel perched atop a small hill with sheep-studded fields at its feet and snow-capped mountains behind, or a steep ravine of pink granite with a fast-running river at the bottom. This is the mythical km-long miles hiking route, mostly along mountain ridges, from Calenzana in the north to Conca in the south, that most French people associate with Corsica along with the beaches of course.
Reputed as one of the toughest hikes in Europe, it will take an experienced hiker 16 days to complete with every night spent in a refuge. You can just do a small segment in a day and get a taxi to pick you up or end or start your hike at Vizzavona where you can get a train.
