Mountains · Corsica · Altitude 491 m

Corte

The mountain capital of Corsica’s short-lived independent republic: an eagle’s-nest citadel, a student town, and wild gorges at its door.

Why go

Most visitors see Corsica from its beaches. Corte shows you the island’s heart: a granite town in the middle of the mountains, crowned by a citadel on a sheer rock, where Pasquale Paoli ran an independent Corsican state in the eighteenth century and where the island’s university still gives the streets a young, political energy. Walk out of town and you are in the gorges of the Restonica and the Tavignano, with pine forests, pools and high peaks.

History

Corte grew where the valleys of the Tavignano and the Restonica meet, almost exactly in the centre of Corsica, a natural crossroads between the north and south of the island. Its rock was fought over by Corsican lords and by the Genoese who held the coast. In 1419 Vincentello d’Istria, count and viceroy of Corsica for the king of Aragon, built a castle on the summit of the rock.

In the eighteenth century Corsica rose against Genoa, and Corte became the political centre of the revolt. Jean-Pierre Gaffory, one of the patriot leaders, was killed in 1753; two years later Pasquale Paoli was chosen to lead the Corsican nation and made Corte the capital of an independent Corsican republic, with a constitution written in 1755 and a government seated in the Palazzu Naziunale. In 1765 he founded a university here, teaching in Italian, and in 1768 Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon’s elder brother, was born in the town.

The republic did not last. By the Treaty of Versailles of 15 May 1768 Genoa ceded its rights over Corsica to France, and on 9 May 1769 Paoli’s forces were defeated by the troops of Louis XV at Ponte Novu, north of Corte. Paoli went into exile in Britain, the university closed and the citadel became a French garrison, enlarged in the eighteenth century.

The citadel stayed military for two centuries; from 1962 to 1983 it was a training base of the Foreign Legion. In 1981 the University of Corsica reopened in Corte, bearing Paoli’s name, and in 1997 the Musée de la Corse opened inside the citadel walls. Corte today is a small town of students and mountain walkers, and the historic heart of Corsican identity.

What to see

The citadel and the Nid d’Aigle

The only one of Corsica’s six citadels built inland rises on a rock above the confluence. Climb to the fifteenth-century keep known as the eagle’s nest for a sweeping view down the valleys and up to the mountains; the ramparts also house temporary exhibitions.

Musée de la Corse

The regional museum of anthropology, built into the foot of the citadel and named after Jean-Charles Colonna, is devoted to the people of Corsica, their ways of life, beliefs and history. Visit it before you head into the mountains: it is the best introduction to the island you will find anywhere.

The upper town and place Gaffory

Steep lanes and stairways climb from the cours Paoli to the old town, where a statue of General Gaffory stands in the square named after him, near the Palazzu Naziunale, the seat of Paoli’s government. Stop at the Belvédère for the classic view of the citadel on its rock.

The Restonica and Tavignano gorges

Two valleys open right from town. A narrow road follows the Restonica up between granite walls and pine forest, and paths continue to glacial lakes such as Melo and Capitello, where the river rises; a footpath climbs the wilder Tavignano gorge. The Restonica is famous for its clear pools. These are real mountains: check conditions and start early.

Climate

Météo-France normals 1991-2020, station Corte (350 m, 4.3 km away).

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
High °C	12.2	13.0	15.8	18.6	23.2	27.8	31.2	31.5	26.4	21.6	16.1	12.7
Low °C	0.4	0.4	2.7	5.0	8.6	12.2	14.6	14.9	11.8	8.8	4.7	1.5
Rain (mm)	71	65	66	72	59	32	36	26	51	99	138	108
Rain days	8	7	7	9	7	4	3	3	6	8	10	9

When to go →

Timeline

1419 Vincentello d’Istria builds the castle on the rock
1753 Patriot leader Jean-Pierre Gaffory is killed
1755 Pasquale Paoli makes Corte capital of independent Corsica
1765 Paoli founds the University of Corsica
1768 Treaty of Versailles: Genoa cedes Corsica to France; Joseph Bonaparte born in Corte
1769 Defeat at Ponte Novu; Corsica becomes French
1981 The University of Corsica reopens in Corte
1997 Musée de la Corse opens in the citadel

Uncertain or disputed

Sources differ on when the citadel became a museum site: one gives 1984 for its opening to the public as the ‘Musée de la Corse', another 1997 for the museum itself.
The circumstances of Gaffory’s death in 1753 are told differently in different accounts; we say only that he was killed.

Crowds: Rarely crowded. July and August bring visitors and traffic to the Restonica road; in June and September the town is lively with students and walkers but rarely crowded. (editorial judgement)

Protected food & drink from here

AOP and IGP products whose official area includes this commune (INAO). Regional food: AOP & IGP →

Cheese

Brocciu ou Brocciu Corse AOP · fresh cheese

Meat & charcuterie

Bulagna de l’Ile de Beauté IGP · cured meat
Coppa de Corse ou Coppa de Corse - Coppa di Corsica AOP · cured meat
Figatelli de l’Ile de Beauté ou Figatellu de l’Ile de Beauté IGP · meat product
Jambon sec de Corse ou Jambon sec de Corse - Prisuttu AOP · cured meat
Lonzo de Corse ou Lonzo de Corse - Lonzu AOP · cured meat
Pancetta de l’Ile de Beauté / Panzetta de l’Ile de Beauté IGP · cured meat
Saucisson sec de l’Ile de Beauté ou Salciccia de l’Ile de Beauté IGP · meat product

Fruit, vegetables & nuts

Farine de châtaigne corse - Farina castagnina corsa AOP · nuts

Butter, oil, honey & more

Miel de Corse - Mele di Corsica AOP · honey

Wine

Ile de Beauté IGP
Méditerranée IGP

Also in this part of France

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Sources

Original text. Train times computed from SNCF timetables (ODbL); climate Météo-France; products INAO; festivals Ministry of Culture. Methodology.