Occupying the former palace of Bastia’s Genoese governors, set into the formidable walls of the citadel, this museum retraces the city’s history from its early days as a Roman trading port. Expect plenty of busts and portraits of local dignitaries such as Louis-Napoleon Mattei, inventor of the Cap Corse aperitif. Admission also gives access to the palace’s lovely upper gardens, with views over the port.
![The Governors Palace in the citadel, Bastia, Corsica, France.](https://lp-cms-production.imgix.net/2023-08/shutterstock2208509909.jpg?w=1920&h=640&fit=crop&crop=faces%2Cedges&auto=format&q=75)
© Majonit/Shutterstock
Musée de Bastia
Bastia
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
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Looming above the harbour, Bastia’s stern-walled citadel was built between the 15th and 17th centuries for the city’s Genoese masters. Known as the Terra…
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The dramatic twin-towered church of John the Baptist soars majestically above the Vieux Port waterfront. Viewed from the citadel above, it’s the most…
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The 19th-century place St-Nicolas, an enormous paved square that sprawls from the ferry port towards the old harbour, is the focus of the everyday life of…
Nearby Bastia attractions
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Climbing the hillside below the mighty walls of the citadel, and threaded through by interlacing paths and stairways, this wooded park makes a scenic…
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Looming above the harbour, Bastia’s stern-walled citadel was built between the 15th and 17th centuries for the city’s Genoese masters. Known as the Terra…
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Adjoining and slightly predating the Cathédrale Ste-Marie, the rococo Église Ste-Croix features gilded ceilings and a mysterious black-oak crucifix, said…
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Dating from the early 17th century, Bastia's richly ornate cathedral stands in the heart of the citadel. Seven caps hang over the choir, each belonging to…
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Bastia’s Vieux Port is ringed by precariously tall, pastel-coloured tenements and buzzy brasseries, and overlooked by the twin-towered Église St-Jean…
0.22 MILES
The dramatic twin-towered church of John the Baptist soars majestically above the Vieux Port waterfront. Viewed from the citadel above, it’s the most…
7. Chapelle de l’Immaculée Conception
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Notable for its elaborately painted barrel-vaulted ceiling, the baroque Chapelle de l’Immaculée Conception served in 1795 as the seat of the short-lived…
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Criss-crossed by narrow lanes, Terra Vecchia is Bastia’s heart and soul. Shady place de l’Hôtel de Ville hosts a lively morning market on Saturday and…