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.

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Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Belvédère
26.92 MILES
Perched on a south-facing promontory immediately below the citadel, and reached via a signposted staircase just outside the ramparts, this free-access…
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,…
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,…