View of the Citadel of Calvi on Corsica, France.

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Citadel

Top choice in Calvi


Crowning a rocky headland, Calvi’s massive citadel was fortified by Corsica’s Genoese rulers from the 12th century onwards, and has fended off everyone from Franco-Turkish raiders to Anglo-Corsican besiegers. While it holds little commercial activity to match the modern town below, a scenic hour-long stroll is rewarded with superb views from its five bastions. Don’t miss the Caserne Sampiero, once home to the Genoese governor and now used by the legendary Foreign Legion, and the 13th-century Cathédrale St-Jean Baptiste, home to the ebony Christ des Miracles, credited with saving Calvi from Saracen invasion in 1553.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Calvi attractions

1. Plage de Calvi

0.65 MILES

Sun worshippers don't have far to stroll. Backed by a grove of pine trees, Calvi’s stellar white-sand beach curves eastwards for 4.5km around the Golfe de…

2. Old Town

10.16 MILES

Île Rousse’s delightful old town centres on tree-shaded place Paoli, with its daily food market, designed to resemble a Greek temple, alongside.

3. Promenade de la Marinella

10.22 MILES

This coastal promenade follows the seafront east from Île Rousse. The beach right by the town centre is actually very pleasant, with fine broad sand, but…

4. Île de la Pietra

10.3 MILES

Low, rocky Île de la Pietra, the ‘russet island’ that gave Île Rousse its name, is a pleasant 15-minute stroll from the centre, across a short causeway…

5. Parc de Saleccia

12.18 MILES

Visitors to these landscaped gardens, 4km east towards Bastia, can admire the flora of Corsica – the tough plants of the maquis, pines, myrtles and fig…

6. Réserve Naturelle de Scandola

20.81 MILES

The jewel of the Golfe de Porto World Heritage Site, the Réserve Naturelle de Scandola extends both above and below the water, from the russet-hued cliffs…

7. Waterfront

20.96 MILES

Porto’s main sights are clustered around the harbour. Once you’ve climbed the higgledy-piggledy headland up to the Genoese tower, stroll round to the…

8. Genoese Tower

21.06 MILES

Follow the stairway up the tiny headland in the centre of the port – a jumble of red-tinged boulders – to reach the sturdy little Genoese watchtower,…