The Island Corsica

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Geography
Corsica, with 8 720 km², is the third island in the Mediterranean. She is also the most mountainous (average of 560 m) with twenty peaks over 2500 m. Monte Cintu at 2.710 metres is the highest peak. Corsica is 180 km long and 85 km wide; there is a 1 000 km of coast.
Corsica is situated at 160 km from the French coast and 80 km from the Italian coast. In the extreme South one is nearer to Tunis then to Lyon. The Straits of Bonifacio separate the islands Corsica and Sardinia.

Climate
Corsica is situated in the Mediterranean Sea at a latitude of 41° north and a longitude of 9° east. The island enjoys a pronounced Mediterranean climate: hot summers and only moderately cool winters.
Climatic conditions vary greatly from region to region, depending upon elevation. It is, for example, very well possible to sit in the hot sunshine on the coast in April, while there is still snow in the mountains.
There are about 95 days of rain in Corsica (on average), with only a small proportion of these falling between June and October. Storms occur more on the west coast and in the mountains.

Winds
Sirocco, blows in from the south-east bringing desert sand from the Sahara with it.
Maestrale,  blows from the north-west, coming from the Rhône Valley.
Tramontana, blows from the north, from the cold plains of the Po. The name indicates "from across the mountains".
Grecale, brings in rain during the winter from the Apennines.
Levante, blows directly from the east.
Ponente, blows directly from the west.
Libecciu, crosses the the entire western Mediterranean coming from Gibraltar.
Mezzogiorno, this wind blows at noon. the breeze gets up at about nine o'clock, after the land mass has heated up faster then the sea.
Terrana, this land breeze blows after sunset, reaching its climax at midnight.

Habitants
Corsica counts 280 000 habitants; roughly 120 000 are living in the two big cities Bastia and Ajaccio.
The interieur has a density of 10 habitants per km².
Many Corsicans have left the island for the mainland of France for economical reasons; therefore there are living more Corsicans abroad then on the island.
The estimate is that 700 000 Corsicans have emigrated, of which 500 000 to the mainland. In 1955 was the lowest count: only 170 000 people living on Corsica.
There are about 22 000 foreigners living on Corsica (8% of the total of inhabitants).
These are Maroccans, Italians, Portuguese, Tunesians and other groups from North-Africa, the socalled "pieds noirs", who came back after the Algerian war in 1962.

Transhumance Corsica is a land of shepherds. Within living memory the shepherds are adapted to climatique conditions and the mountains of their region. In winter, during the cold and the snow, they guide their flock towards the coast; in summer, when there is drought and heat (and paludism), they return to higher pastures. There, in the traditional way, they make the cheeses and the famous, delicious brucciu. A muntagnera, at the beginning of July, marks the start of the transhumance of goats and cows to the higher pastures where they will stay for three months. Every hamlet in the mountains "owns" a "beach"; that is to say a territorium at the seaside. The paths of the transhumance find themselves between these two portions of territorium. The shepherds of the Niolu for example take the long route by descending into the Filosorma (hinterland of Galeria) or go all the way to the Balagne. The ways of the transhumance from the "beach" to the mountain-hamlets are marked with bergeries, drystone-walled simple houses or sometimes just a refuge under a rock. Many of these bergeries are still existing and in use today.

Transhumance dans le Marsulinu

Départ des Bergers pour la Montagne photo In Corsica Tandu

Getting to Corsica

Transavia, also for your flight to Calvi

Distances en temps Les distances sont indiqués en temps pour des déplacement en voiture. En effet, les kilomètres ne signifient que peu de chose lorsque qu'on roule sur des petites routes sinueuses.     Bastia Corte Calvi Ile Rousse Porto Ajaccio Propriano Sartène Bonifacio PVecchio Figari Aleria Bastia   1h20 2h00 1h30 3h30 2h40 3h00 3h15 2h30 2h00 2h40 1h Corte 1h20   1h30 1h00 1h30 1h20 2h20 2h35 2h30 2h00 2h30 0h45 Calvi 2h00 1h30   0h30 1h15 2h30 3h15 3h30 3h45 3h30 3h40 2h10 Ile Rousse 1h30 1h00 0h30   1h45 2h30 3h15 3h30 3h15 3h00 3h10 1h40 Porto 3h30 1h30 1h15 1h45   1h30 2h30 2h45 3h10 3h10 3h00 2h10 Ajaccio 2h40 1h20 2h30 2h30 1h30   1h00 1h30 2h15 2h45 2h45 2h00 Propriano 3h00 2h20 3h15 3h15 2h30 1h00             Sartène 3h15 2h35 3h30 3h30 2h45 1h30 0h15   0h45 0h45 0h40 1h45 Bonifacio 2h30 2h30 3h45 3h15 3h10 2h15 1h00 0h45   0h30 0h30 1h30 PVecchio 2h00 2h00 3h30 3h00 3h10 2h45 1h00 0h45 0h30   0h30 1h00 Figari 2h40 2h30 3h40 3h10 3h00 2h45 1h00 0h40 0h30 0h30   1h30 Aleria 1h00 0h45 2h10 1h40 2h10 2h00 1h45 1h45 1h30 1h00 1h30

Hotels, summer rentals, holiday houses

Maisons de vacances sur Lovaca.fr

Gîtes et chambres d'hôtes Au village de Patrimonio, à 15 km de Bastia, à 4 km de Saint-Florent et à 3 km de la plage.

Activité: Cours de chant polyphonie corse et chant du monde Activity: Courses in corsican polyphonic singing and world-music singing Information: Barbara Andréani Mulinu Suttanu  20253 Patrimonio Tel. : 33 (0)4 95 37 00 57 Fax : 33 (0)4 95 37 17 93 E-mail : infos@casa-albina-corsica.com Website: www.casa-albina-corsica.com Ouverts toute l'année, open all year

Holiday houses in Corsica, online booking

Booking of your hotel and flight

For more addresses see LINKS

Usefull addresses

• Ajaccio: Campo dell'Oro Airport , tel. 0495 23 56 56, 20090 Ajaccio
• Bastia: Bastia-Poretta Airport , tel. 0495 54 54 54, 20290 Lucciana
• Calvi: Ste Catherine Airport , tel. 0495 65 88 88, 20260 Calvi
• Figari: Figari Airport , tel. 0495 71 10 10

• Agence du Tourisme de la Corse , 17 Bd du Roi-Jerôme, 20000 Ajaccio, tel. 0495 51 00 00
• Office de Tourisme d'Ajaccio (20176), place Foch, BP 21, tel. 0495 51 53 03
• Office de Tourisme d'Aleria (20270), route nationale 198, tel. 0495 57 01 51
• Office de Tourisme Bastia (20200), 1, Rue N-D de Lourdes, tel. 0495 54 20 40
• Office de Tourisme Bonifacio (20169), 2, rue Frd Scamaroni, tel. 0495 73 11 88
• Office de Tourisme Calvi (20260), port de plaisance, tel. 0495 65 16 67
• Office de Tourisme Cargèse (20130), rue du Docteur Dragacci, tel. 0495 26 41 31
• Office de Tourisme Corte (20250), lieu dit Citadelle, tel. 0495 46 26 70
• Office de Tourisme Ghisonaccia (20240), route nationale 198, tel. 0495 56 12 38
• Office de Tourisme Ile Rousse (20220), Place Paoli, tel. 0495 60 04 35
• Office de Tourisme Macinaggio-Rogliano (20248), port de plaisance, tel. 0495 35 40 34
• Office de Tourisme Olmeto (20113), quartier Marinca Cannes, tel. 0495 74 65 87
• Office de Tourisme Piana (20115), place de la Mairie, tel. 0495 27 84 42
• Office de Tourisme Porticcio (20166), residence du Golfe, tel. 0495 25 10 09
• Office de Tourisme Porto (20150), La Marine, tel. 0495 26 10 55
• Office de Tourisme de Porto-Vecchio (20137), rue du Docteur de Rocca-Serra, BP 92, tel. 0495 70 09 58
• Office de Tourisme Propriano (20110), quai Saint-Erasme, tel. 0495 76 01 49
• Office de Tourisme Saint-Florent (20127), bâtiment administratif, tel. 0495 37 06 04
• Office de Tourisme Sartène (20100), 6, rue de Borgo, tel. 0495 77 15 40
• Office de Tourisme Sari-Solenzara (20145), residence des Côtes Nacres, tel. 0495 57 43 75
• Office de Tourisme Vico-Sagone
• Office de Tourisme Zonza (20124), St. Lucie de Porto Vecchio, fax. 0495 71 49 18
• Office de Tourisme Costa Verde
• Office de Tourisme Costa Serena
• Office de Tourisme Balagne
• Office de Tourisme Bozio

Maisons d'Information Parc naturel régional

• Parc Naturel régional de la Corse, rue Lambroschini, BP 417, 20184 Ajaccio Cedex 1, tel. 0495 51 79 10
• Maison d'information du Parc, 2 rue Casalonga, BP 417, 20184 Ajaccio, tel. 0495 51 79 10 (open the whole year)

Open from 15 june till 15 september:

• Maison d'Information de Corte, 20250 La Citadelle, tel. 0495 46 27 44
• Maison du GR20, 20214 Calenzana, tel. 0495 62 87 78
• Maison d'Information de Porto, 20150 La Marine, tel. 0495 26 15 14
• Maison d'Information de Zonza, 20124 , tel. 0495 78 66 58
• Maison d'Information d'Evisa, 20126 Paesolu d'Aïtone, tel. 0495 26 20 39

getting there usefull addresses gîtes d'etappes GR20 campings

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Gîtes d'etappes

On the Mare e Monti

• Calenzana - 24 places - tel:04 95 627008
• Bonifatu - 5 rooms in the Auberge de la Forêt; gîte dormitory 22 places - tel:04 95 650998
• Tuarelli - 24 places- tel:04 95 620175
• Galeria - 28 places- tel:04 95 620046
• Girolata - le Cormoran 20 places- tel:04 95 201555
• Curzu - 40 places- tel:04 95 273170
• Serriera - U me Molino 30 places- tel:04 95 261067
• Ota - Chez Felix 30 places- tel:04 95 261460
• Evisa - 20 places- tel:04 95 262188
• Marignana - 30 places- tel:04 95 262121
• E Case - 25 places- tel:06 08 169490

On the Mare e Mare North

• I Penti-Santa Reparata-di-Moriani - Luna Piena 20 places - tel:0495 385948
• Pianello - 18 places- tel:04 95 396074
• Sermano - 16 places- tel:04 95 486797
• Corte - 20 places- tel:04 95 461685
• Calacuccia - 24 places- tel:04 95 480004
• Albertacce - 24 places- tel:04 95 480560 (closed from 1 november till 31 march; save groups on reservation)
• Casamaccioli - 12 places- tel:04 95 480331 (on reservation save saturday and sunday)
• Evisa - 20 places- tel:04 95 262188

On the Variante of the Mare e Mare North

• Poggio di Venaco - 24 places- tel:04 95 470345
• San Petru di Venaco - 27 places- tel:04 95 470729
• Pastricciola - 18 places- tel:04 95 289160
• Guagnu - 28 places- tel:04 95 283347 (no restauration)

On the Mare e Mare Centre

• Serra di Fiumorbu - 24 places- tel:04 95 567548
• Castaghju - 24 places- tel:04 95 567014
• Cozzano - 36 places- tel:04 95 244159
• Guitera les Bains - 20 places- tel:04 95 244254
• Tasso - 20 places- tel:04 95 245201
• Col Saint Georges - 20 places- tel:04 95 257006

On the Mare e Monti South

• Bisinao - 20 places- tel:04 95 242166
• Burgo - 30 places- tel:04 95 761505
• Baracci - 14 places- tel:04 95 760802

On the Mare e Mare South

• Cartalavonu - 25 places- tel:04 95 700039
• Levie - 20 places- tel:04 95 784641
• Quenza - Centre de Montagne 25 places- tel:04 95 786405
• Serra di Scopamena - 26 places- tel:04 95 786490
• Santa Lucia di Tallano - 30 places- tel:04 95 788256
• Burgo - 30 places- tel:04 95 761505
• Bavella - 24 places- tel:04 95 574387
• Les Aguilles de Bavella - 24 places- tel:04 95 574606

For all the "gîtes d'etappes" it is recommended to make reservations, especially in the tourist season

See also: Gîtes et Refuges and Gîtes de France Région Corse

La Grande Randonnée GR20 Calenzana - Ortu di u Piobbu 1550m - 6h30 Ortu di u Piobbu - Carozzu 670m - 7h Carozzu - Ascu Stagnu 800m - 6h Ascu Stagnu - Tighjettu 1000m - 6h Tighjettu - Ciottulu di I Mori 600m - 4h Ciottulu di i Mori - Manganu 650m - 8h Manganu - Petra Piana 850m - 6h30 Petra Piana - L'Onda 500m - 5h L'Onda - Vizzavona 700m - 6h Vizzavona - Capanelle 900m - 5h30 Capanelle - Prati 650m - 6h Prati - Usciolu 500m - 6h Usciolu - Asinau 850m - 8h Asinau - Paliri 450m - 7h Paliri - Conca 200m - 5h

More detailed information about the GR20:
www.GR20.fr.st korsica.multimania.com/rand001.html GR20 Montagne Corse Organized walks www.gr20.free www.le-gr20.com	Weather forecast: 08 36 68 02 20 Maison du GR20: 20214 Calinzana 0495 62 87 78 Maison du Parc Naturel Régional de Corse 2 rue Casalonga B.P 417 20184 Ajaccio 0495 51 79 00 Maison d' information de Corti (summer) La Citadelle 20250 Corti 0495 26 15 14

Campings

Campings à la Ferme

Fermes-équestres

For more addresses see LINKS

Les Fermes Auberges

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campings à la ferme fermes-équestres fermes auberges hotels and summer rentals train

Trains

For timetables see also : SNCF

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