Bonifacio from Sardinia for 1 day. Open left menu bonifacio. Bastion and fortress

September 17th, 2010 , 05:09 pm

That's all, my friends. Here is my last Corsican post. For dessert, I left a one-day excursion to the most visited city of Corsica - Bonifacio (in French transcription Bonifacio).
Writer Anatole France once remarked: “Sometimes one day spent in other places gives more than ten years of life at home.” For some reason it seems to me that he was talking about Bonifacio! The city is magnificent!

So, for our visit to the southernmost city of France, we chose the company Nave Va, which was already familiar to us. The cost of the excursion for one adult is 58 euros, for a child – 40. We depart from Ajaccio at 8 am and return at 18.30. You are given 4 hours to walk around Bonifacio: not much, of course, but quite enough for a first acquaintance.

This time there was no storm. One of the team members made us happy with this news as soon as we stepped on board the boat. It's nice that you found out and showed some concern. In general, we did not experience any discomfort during the trip.

We swam for some time accompanied by dolphins...

Unfortunately, we met them only once...

It takes about three hours to sail to the final destination of our journey, but on the left side there are beautiful landscapes...

so time flies completely unnoticed... Just don’t forget to sit correctly... on the left

In general, the coast from Ajaccio to Bonifacio is one of the most beautiful in Corsica!

Absolutely deserted beaches...

However, there are still traces of civilization... Do you see the ruins? Apparently this is one of the watchtowers.

The towers are located along the entire Corsican coast. A total of 65 of them have survived. When an enemy ship appeared in the distance, the inhabitants of the island were warned about it by a smoke signal...

People meet too... This lady noticed my camera and expressed dissatisfaction. Literally in a second she will create a composition called “fak yu” from her graceful fingers. Fi, madam...

And this aunt, it seems, was sunbathing naked literally a minute before our arrival... And now she chastely covered her nakedness... The one who was lying next to him, it seems, decided to hide...

Meanwhile, chalk (gentlemen geologists, am I speaking correctly?) rocks appeared - a sure sign that the final goal is already close...

By the way, Napoleon's Grotto is clearly visible, but more on that later...

The city is getting closer and closer...

Here he is, handsome!

Proud and unapproachable!

One of the myths about Odysseus mentions a city on a white rock that can withstand any siege.

Moreover! There is a legend according to which Odysseus even visited Bonifacio. I wonder if the city has changed much? I read somewhere that this is what he looked like!

Impressive, isn't it? The houses are located at an altitude of more than 60 meters above sea level...

The history of Bonifacio begins from the moment when a certain marquis from Tuscany gave this locality his name. Later, the Genoese appreciated Bonifacio’s advantageous location from a military point of view and captured the city in 1187.

This is what the texture of the coastal rocks looks like...

On the way to the port, we sail past the famous Saint-Antoine grotto (or Napoleon's grotto, since from the outside it very much resembles the emperor's famous cocked hat)

And here is the port...

In general, the city is divided into two parts: the lower town of Marina and the Upper (Old) town, the one that is located on the rocks.

This is a view of the Old Town from the Marina...

How could there be no fortifications... This is a fortified city!

You can get to the upper city either on a special small tourist train (included in the price of the excursion), or on your own along the Monte Rastello pedestrian road (pictured)…

It's her...

The road ends at a certain balustrade, from which amazing views open up...

Including one of Bonifacio’s business cards – a piece of limestone rock called “Grain of Sand”...

The views are really good...

From the balustrade you can see neighboring Sardinia (12 km away), but I won’t show photographic evidence...
Why do we need Sardinia if we are in Corsica!

There are no beaches in the city itself, but, as you can see, this doesn’t bother some people...

The purest sea water is perhaps one of the many calling cards of Corsica!

This is the Saint-Roch Chapel near the Porte de Gennes fortress...

Until the 19th century, the gates of the Porte de Gennes fortress were the only entrance to the Old Town... In fact, there is also a drawbridge there...
Guests are greeted by a local musician…

Welcome to medieval Bonifacio!

Parallel streets are sometimes connected by corridors like this...

On the small “Street of Two Emperors” in house No. 31 from January to March 1793 Napoleon lived (in those days, of course, not yet an emperor, but an ordinary lieutenant)…

And Charles V stayed in house number 22 in 1541...

We continue to wander through the narrow streets of the city...

It is quite difficult to photograph any specific building in its entirety. Very cramped...

But the locals still manage to use scooters...

In general, Bonifacio has 2,700 inhabitants, most of whom are descendants of Italians who settled here after the city was captured by the Genoese. It was a long time ago, so few people here speak the Ligurian dialect...

Bonifacio is the most visited city in Corsica, so they try to sell every tourist here an absolutely unnecessary souvenir “as a keepsake”...

Including a kind of Corsican “birdhouse” so that all your guests ask: “Where did you bring this beauty from?” "Ah! It seems from Bonifacio!"

The Church of Sainte-Marie-Majeur is sandwiched on all sides by houses, and several tables of one of the restaurants stand so close to the side door of the temple that it is difficult for visitors to the tavern to figure out why they came here: to pray or to eat.

By the way, I meant this restaurant...

There are some pretty funny signs... It's not hard to imagine what this pig will turn into...

A cafe with a simple name “Fa”…

Attributes of a disco... Apparently, for beauty...

From the Church of Sainte-Marie-Majeur, special flying buttresses are thrown to the neighboring buildings. They distribute the load from the vaults of the cathedral, and in addition, rainwater flowed through specially reinforced gutters into a special tank located under the loggia of the church... The volume of the tank is 600 m3. This was a strategic supply of water in case of a siege.

Between ordinary buildings there are also struts and the same cunning rainwater collection system. There were reservoirs for it in every house.

The houses have very steep stairs. By the way, before there were no steps at all: you could only climb into your home using a rope ladder and, in case of danger, immediately pull it up with you. This is not a metal door for you! Everything is much more reliable! This is truly a real fortified city!

And this is another “trick” of Bonifacio – “the staircase of the King of Aragon”. In general, the city was besieged many times. A particularly difficult siege was established in 1420 by the troops of the Aragonese king Alfonso. So, the legend says that his soldiers, in order to penetrate the city, cut a staircase of 187 steps in the rock in one night! You can't climb inside a huge wooden horse! Right? This is more difficult work!

If you are not prone to dizziness from heights, then do not deny yourself the pleasure of visiting this “attraction”. The steps are quite steep, you need to go down very carefully. There are handrails. The stairs lead to a path laid right in the rocks hanging overhead...

The island of Corsica, or rather its most popular town called Bonifacio. This city is considered the most photogenic and most colorful city on the island, and this is not at all surprising. The sights located here are nothing short of admirable.

Bonifacio is a city and at the same time a commune located in the south of the island of Corsica. The city is located on a long, narrow peninsula at the very edge of Corsica, separated from the island of Sardinia by the Strait of Bonifacio. The population of the town is just under three thousand people.

Area: 138 km²;
Time zone: UTC+1, summer UTC+2;
Population: 2,700.

How to get there

Getting to the city is not difficult. The nearest airport is located just 21 kilometers north of the center. You can also get there by bus from Ajaccio and Bastia.

A selection of profitable air tickets through Aviadiscounter (searches like Aviasales + a selection of airline promotions and sales).

And to select intercity transport (planes, trains, buses) in Europe, try, the service offers the best ways to travel along popular routes.

Or make your own route.

A little bit of history

The first settlements in this area date back to prehistoric times, as evidenced by an ancient residential cave near the village of Capello and chamber tombs to the north of the city, near Figari. The first site dates back to approximately 6500 BC, and the second site dates back to the Megalithic culture of the 3rd–2nd millennium BC. The history of the city itself begins in 828, when the fortress founded on this site was named in honor of Boniface II of Tuscany.

Attractions

Bonifacio is divided into two parts: the Marina is a port quarter, which is intended for the anchorage of warships, fishing boats and pleasure yachts, and the Upper Town is a citadel located on 60-meter steep cliffs. And, of course, the most interesting sights are located in the old part of the city.

Here you will find a citadel with a very beautiful sailors' cemetery and the Aragonese steps that go straight down to the sea. According to legend, all 187 steps of this staircase were carved in one night during the siege of the city by the Spanish king. Nearby is the Gothic Cathedral of Saint Dominic, dating from the 13th century, and the Church of Sainte-Marie-Mageur, which dates from the 14th century. Not far from the port, in a natural cave there is an aquarium where you can admire the flora and fauna of the Bonifacio Strait.

Camparetti embankment, all built up with hotels, shops and restaurants. Opposite the embankment on a hill rises the Chapelle Sainte-Roch church, which dates back to the 16th century, and is reached by the Porte des Genets drawbridge, which was once the only entrance to the city. Stroll through the city's narrow streets and enjoy the covered galleries and double arched windows. The Torrione watchtower, which dates back to 1195 and is 35 meters high, behind which lies the historic quarter of Bosco.

Bonifacio cannot boast of having places for swimming. It does not have a convenient entrance to the sea, and its strait is known for strong currents and constant winds. Therefore, if you want to enjoy the warm sea and clean beaches, then you should go to the beaches of the Bay of Santa Manza and the bay of Rondinara, which is 9 kilometers north of the city, or to the small bays of Catalonga, Pianterella and Sperone, which are 3 – 7 kilometers east of the city .

Services for tourists that will allow you to save or get more for the same money:

Insurance: the journey begins with choosing a profitable insurance company, allowing you to choose the best option for your requirements;
Flight: Aviasales looks for the best tickets, you can also find airline promotions and sales in Aviadiscounter;
Accommodation: first we choose a hotel through (they have the largest database), and then see which site is cheaper to book it through RoomGuru;
Movements: You can order an inexpensive transfer to the airport and back, you can also rent a car on (Economybookings). In some countries, renting a car may be cheaper than public transport (for example, in Portugal);
Entertainment: book excursions from local Russian-speaking guides around the world at

Bonifacio is a very colorful city in the south of Corsica. It is built right into steep cliffs of white limestone at an altitude of 60 m, so the entire city is snow-white. Bonifacio consists of two parts: the port quarter, where the marina for ships and yachts is located, and the Upper Town (aka Old Town), in which all the attractions are concentrated. The most beautiful of them are the ancient fortress, the sailors' cemetery, the Aragonese staircase of 187 steps, which leads directly to the sea, and the Gothic Cathedral of St. Dominic of the 13th century.

How to get there

The local Figari airport is located 21 km north of the city; from July to August there are buses from it to the city center (7-8 EUR). All year round, buses run to Ajaccio (4 hours, 19.5 EUR) and Bastia (with transfers).

Italian Sardinia is only 12 km from here by sea across the strait.

Search for flights to Ajaccio (closest airport to Bonifacio)

City `s history

The name of the city was given by Viscount Boniface II of Tuscany, not at all French, but rather Mediterranean. He founded it in 828 on the site of an ancient port settlement founded by the Romans and Greeks in 300 BC. e. Bonifacio did not belong to the French for long. In 1187, the Genoese, seduced by the advantageous location of the port city, captured the fortress and created their own colony. The story of the siege of the city was repeated more than once.

It wasn't easy for the residents of Bonifacio in 1420, when King Alfonso of Aragon ordered his soldiers to cut a staircase into the rock. They managed to complete the task overnight - a staircase of 187 steps was supposed to lead the king to victory.

But the besieged Genoese resisted the onslaught of Alfonso of Aragon, and he did not get the city.

Weather in Bonifacio

In autumn and spring it is quite cool here and the wind blows, but in the summer it becomes so hot that by noon there is no energy left for any sightseeing.

Bonifacio Hotels

The city is dominated by 3-5* hotels. The most popular hotels are located in the lower part of the city, closer to the embankment and closer to the beaches. For those who prefer to live surrounded by ancient buildings, it is better to rent a room in a hotel in the Upper Town.

You can also rent a villa in Bonifacio.

Beaches

The city beaches provide excellent conditions for sunbathing. Beach and water sports can also be enjoyed here.

Since a strong sea current has always formed around the city, tourists prefer beaches ten kilometers from the city: for example, in Rondinara Bay, Santa Manza Bay, or in the small bays of Catalonga, Sperone and Pianterella, located east of Bonifacio. Another resort area is the Lavezzi Islands, where there is a marine national park and an underwater center. You can’t pick flowers, catch animals or ride a bike here, but the beauty is crazy, which you can enjoy for hours.

Entertainment and attractions in Bonifacio

The town, surrounded by white limestone walls, is divided into two parts: the upper town and the lower (Marina), centered around the port. Quite formidable on the outside, bordered by rocks, inside Bonifacio hides touching carved stone houses, narrow cozy streets, ancient buildings of churches and cathedrals, fragrant gardens and parks. The highest point of the city is the Sait-Roch observation deck, from where you can see the rock - “Green of Sand” (Grein de sable). In the old town, along the “street of two emperors” Rue des deux Empereurs, tourists make their leisurely promenade, eager to see the city citadel of Bonifacio, crowned with the Aragonese steps descending to the water - a magnificent historical place, overgrown with legends.

The Grène des Sables, a limestone cliff, a man-made creation - all this is the Staircase of the King of Aragon, consisting of 187 steps, the path to the source of drinking water in the cave located at the bottom of the stairs.

There is also the Marin cemetery and, for dessert, the Saint-François monastery. At a distance of four kilometers from Bonifacio, hidden on the ledges of a granite rock, is an amazing place, permeated with silence - L’Hermitage de la Trinite (Desert of the Holy Trinity). Being here, anyone will find peace, even if only for a while, overshadowed by the beauty of the cross carved on the surface of the rock. Let's tell you in more detail about the 6 most colorful attractions of the resort.

Views of Bonifacio

Promenade Comparetti

The Comparetti embankment is one of the most beautiful places in the city. The local harbor is dotted with hundreds of yachts and boats at any time of the year. The harbor is not only the center of the city's marine life, from where ships depart every day and where new ones land every day. There is also a vibrant entertainment life here. At dusk, the embankment is illuminated by many lights. Like moths flying to a flame, it attracts people who want to have fun and relax.

Citadel

If the embankment is the lower part of the city, called the Marina, then the city citadel with the sailors' cemetery and the Aragonese steps is its upper part, located at an altitude of 60 m. When entering the citadel, you will probably see a skeleton. Don't be alarmed, these are not real bones, but only a copy of them. The real "Dame Bonifacio" (this is the name of the skeleton of a 35-year-old woman found here during excavations) is kept in the Alta Rocca Museum.

Aquarium

In the port of Marina, in a natural cave, the French set up a real aquarium. Here you can see the beauty of the underwater world of the Bonifacio Strait - magnificent corals, including black ones, as well as jellyfish, stingrays, small fish, colorful damselfish fish and many, many other living creatures.

7 things to do in Bonifacio

Book a boat trip for an hour or for the whole day. During your walk, you can explore grottoes, of which Corsica is full, admire the picturesque underwater world and get a lot of positive emotions.
Admire the sunset from the sailors' cemetery, strewn with white crosses. From here you have a beautiful view of the sea and the city. Truly, this is the best place to watch the sun set. Don't be afraid, it's not creepy at all - the mosaics and white chapels create a peaceful environment.
Visit the Cascades d'Evisa waterfalls.
Touch the stone walls of the magnificent citadel in the town of Cort.
Admire the high-mountain Golden Lake and swim in the hot springs in Caldana.
Try sweet chestnut soup in one of the cafes on the embankment.
And, of course, don’t forget to climb the Aragonese Steps. When else will you be honored to climb such ancient steps, to the creation of which people who lived more than 5 centuries ago had a hand in creating?

Bastion Etandar

The Comparetti embankment and the Chapelle Saint-Roch church, which occupies the Monte Roche hill, give its guests an amazing view. By the way, this road used to lead to the city through the Porte des Genets drawbridge. The Etandar Bastion is today the only fragment remaining of the fortifications, which were destroyed during the siege of 1554, when the French, at the cost of incredible efforts, recaptured the fortress from the Genoese. Pay attention to the house with a marble shield located nearby. Napoleon Bonaparte himself lived there in 1793.

Cathedral of Saint Dominic

The historical district of Bosco is interesting, where the rare Corsican Gothic Cathedral of Saint Domenique is located. This church has an amazing octagonal shape with a bell tower crowned with battlements. The architecture of this building amazingly harmoniously intertwines Gothic elements, Corsican aesthetics and Romanesque style.

Church of Sainte-Marie-Mageur

The Church of Sainte-Marie-Mager is located in the central part of the city and will amaze you with its whiteness. In all of Bonifacio, it is considered the most expensive church, so don’t bother going into it.

Area: 138 km²;
Time zone: UTC+1, summer UTC+2;
Population: 2,700.

How to get there

Getting to the city is not difficult. The nearest airport is located just 21 kilometers north of the center. You can also get there by bus from Ajaccio and Bastia.

A selection of profitable air tickets through Aviadiscounter (searches like Aviasales + a selection of airline promotions and sales).

And to select intercity transport (planes, trains, buses) in Europe, try, the service offers the best ways to travel along popular routes.

Or make your own route.

A little bit of history

Attractions

Services for tourists that will allow you to save or get more for the same money:

Insurance: the journey begins with choosing a profitable insurance company, allowing you to choose the best option for your requirements;
Flight: Aviasales looks for the best tickets, you can also find airline promotions and sales in Aviadiscounter;
Accommodation: first we choose a hotel through (they have the largest database), and then see which site is cheaper to book it through RoomGuru;
Movements: You can order an inexpensive transfer to the airport and back, you can also rent a car on (Economybookings). In some countries, renting a car may be cheaper than public transport (for example, in Portugal);
Entertainment: book excursions from local Russian-speaking guides around the world at

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We'll start our sightseeing in Bonifacio from the port. The port of Bonifacio is a deep fjord, separated from the ocean by a cape 1.5 kilometers long, on which the citadel and the city itself rise. The city port is located in the depths of the bay. At the very end of the fjord there is a parking lot for pleasure boats, and there is also a large parking lot across the road. And if we leave the parking lot, we can explore the port and stroll along the embankment. From here you can clearly see a powerful defensive structure - the Etandar Bastion - one of the most representative buildings in the city.

It itself looks like a castle or an imposing fortress. Built by the Genoese, the Etandar Bastion was destroyed in the sixteenth century during the Franco-Turkish War. Later it was reconstructed in strict compliance with the Genoese plan.

Bonifacio is divided into two parts - the upper and lower town. The lower city is also called Marina. This is a seaside complex with its passenger port and the Kompareti embankment.

Along the embankment there are hotels, shops and numerous restaurants with terraces, which offer beautiful views of sailboats and luxury yachts sailing into the city from all directions.

Here you can visit an aquarium, where, in a natural cave, you can see the beauty of the underwater world of the Bonifacio Strait - jellyfish, stingrays, colorful damselfish fish, magnificent corals, including black ones, as well as small fish, and many, many other living creatures.

At dusk, the embankment is illuminated by many lights. At this time, a vibrant entertainment life is in full swing here.

The stern walls of the citadel rise above the embankment.

Repeatedly besieged and destroyed over the centuries, Bonifacio became a fortress. The architecture of the city is marked by three successive fortifications: the Pisan fortifications, the medieval fortifications or the Genoese citadel, raised as a large wall, decorated with square towers, the French fortifications, which completed the current appearance.

The Citadel has three entrances: Porte de Gennes (pedestrians only), Porte de France (vehicles and pedestrians) and Fort Saint-Nicolas (vehicles only).

From the Marina to the citadel you can ascend by two staircases: one of them rises from the Rue Saint-Erasme to the entrance to the citadel of the Porte de Gennes, the other connects the ferry terminal with the Porte de France gate.

The medieval Old Town is lined with tall houses of a distinctly Genoese style, with narrow facades often connected by buttresses.

The houses, many of which retain stone carvings, have gutters that drain rainwater into cisterns.

The old town is a tangled network of narrow streets where sunlight barely penetrates.

The streets are partly pedestrian, with a bunch of restaurants, shops and souvenir shops and, usually in season, with an endless stream of tourists.

The Street of Two Emperors is named so because its houses No. 4 and No. 7 preserve the memory of two emperors: Charles V and Napoleon. In 1541, Charles V spent three days in Bonifacio on his way to Algiers, and stayed at number 4, and Bonaparte stayed at Bonifacio at number 7 for several months, planning a military expedition to Sardinia in 1793.

In the center of the Old Town is the Church of Sainte-Marie-Majeur (Santa Maria Maggiore of the 14th century) - the main church of the city.

This may be the oldest church building in the city, given its architectural style.

This is a basilica with three naves ending in semicircular apses.

On one of the portals with two granite columns the coat of arms of Genoa is carved.

The loggia located in front of the façade gives the church its originality. It is built over a water tank with a capacity of 650 m3. During the time of Genoese rule, four elders solved city problems here. From the loggia, twice a week, the mayor, who lived opposite, administered justice.

And now this is the ideal place to hide from the scorching sun.

Beyond the Old Town is Bosco, an area of the upper town in the far corner of the plateau. Then there is only the sea. The perimeter of Bosco is bordered by the remains of the walls of the Citadel.

The views from here are simply breathtaking.

In Bosco there is the Cathedral of Saint Domenique (XIII-XVIII centuries), a rare example of Corsican Gothic architecture.

The Church of Saint Domenique, presumably built on the site of the Templar Church, has an octagonal bell tower with an interesting crenellated finish.

Its architecture harmoniously intertwines Gothic elements, Romanesque style and Corsican aesthetics.

The exterior of the church is more reminiscent of the Romanesque style.

A large area in Bosco is occupied by a former sailors' cemetery, with family crypts, some of which claim to be architectural monuments.

Nearby is the now defunct monastery of Saint-François.

Also interesting in Bosco are the stone towers that once had quite peaceful uses - these were mills.

But let's go back to the port. Boat trips of any length are offered here: from an hour to a whole day, with swimming in numerous sea grottoes.

Among them, the grotto of Sdragonato or the Dragon's Grotto, which seems to follow the contours of Corsica itself, is especially interesting. The sun's rays penetrate it only in some places.

But the most interesting thing about these boat trips is the path along a 60-meter rocky cliff, on the edge of which the houses of the city hang.

The upper town makes a stunning impression with ancient houses built on the edge of a cliff, the foundations of which have been undermined by winds and sea waves.

From the sea, it seems as if the houses are stuck together, trying not to fall off the cliffs. This is truly an impressive sight.

Bonifacio is also called the city of open spaces and winds. Waves knock on its walls, and the wind sweeps the streets.