Museum sights in Ajaccio
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Palais Fesch – Musée des Beaux-Arts
One of the island's must-sees, this superb museum reopened in 2010 after extensive renovation works. Established by Napoléon's uncle, it has France's largest collection of Italian paintings outside the Louvre. Mostly the works of minor or anonymous 14th- to 19th-century artists, there are also canvases by Titian, Fra Bartolomeo, Veronese, Botticelli and Bellini. Look out for La Vierge à l'Enfant Soutenu par un Ange (Mother and Child Supported by an Angel), one of Botticelli's masterpieces. Portrait de l'Homme au Gant (Portrait of the Gloved Man) by Titian matches another in the Louvre. The museum also houses temporary exhibitions. Within the Chapelle Impériale (Imperia…
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B
Musée National de la Maison Bonaparte
Napoléon spent his first nine years in this house. Ransacked by Corsican nationalists in 1793, requisitioned by English troops from 1794 to 1796, and eventually rebuilt by Napoléon's mother, the house became a place of pilgrimage for French revolutionaries, and visitors are still encouraged to observe suitably hushed tones. It hosts memorabilia of the emperor and his siblings, including a glass medallion containing a lock of his hair. It's closed Monday mornings.
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C
Musée a Bandera
Tucked away on a little side street, this quirky little museum explores Corsican history up to WWII. Among the highlights are a diorama of the 1769 battle of Ponte Novo that confirmed French conquest of the island, a model of the port of Ajaccio as it was in the same period, and a proclamation by Gilbert Elliot, viceroy of the shortlived Anglo-Corsican kingdom (1794–96). There are also a few worthy panels describing the role of women in Corsican society.
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D
Musée du Capitellu
The Musée du Capitellu is a delightful little museum assembled by M. Paul Ottavi-Sampolo, its owner and curator. It provides a fascinating glimpse into the town's history through the eclectic paintings, porcelain, silverware and objets d'art, assembled over the years by one prominent Ajaccio family.
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E
Salon Napoléonien
Fans of Napoléon will make a beeline for this museum on the 1st floor of the Hôtel de Ville. It exhibits Napoléonic medals, portraits and busts, as well as a fabulously frescoed ceiling of Napoléon and entourage.
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