Established by Napoléon’s uncle, cardinal Joseph Fesch (1763–1839), Ajaccio’s superb art museum holds the largest French collection of Italian paintings outside the Louvre. Masterpieces by Titian, Fra Bartolomeo, Veronese, Bellini and Botticelli – look out for his Vierge à l’Enfant Soutenu par un Ange (Mother and Child Supported by an Angel) – are complemented by temporary exhibitions. Several rooms are devoted to Napoléon and his family, with one unlikely painting showing Napoléon atop a dromedary.
© Rafal Michal Gadomski/Shutterstock
Palais Fesch – Musée des Beaux-Arts
Ajaccio
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
26.54 MILES
The high pass by which the D268 crosses the mountains, the Col de Bavella (Bavella Pass; 1218m), is overlooked by the magnificent silhouettes of the…
13.99 MILES
Corsica's most important prehistoric site, 20km north of Propriano, preserves extraordinary granite menhirs (standing stones) that were originally erected…
24.24 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…
24.56 MILES
A side turning north from the D268, 3km west of Levie, arrives after 4km at a beautiful forest, where an easy 2.5km loop trail leads past two remarkable…
0.28 MILES
Unremarkable from the outside, the old-town house where Napoléon was born and spent his first nine years was ransacked by Corsican nationalists in 1793,…
3.94 MILES
Dedicated beach bums generally prefer the sands of Porticcio to Ajaccio's busy city beaches. It’s 15km by road around the bay from Ajaccio, or 6km…
23.96 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,…
28.4 MILES
The desolate and beautiful Cauria plateau, 15km south of Sartène, holds several intriguing prehistoric sites. To find them, take the D48 south then follow…
Nearby Ajaccio attractions
0.03 MILES
The crypt of the imperial chapel, across the courtyard from the Palais Fesch, holds the tombs of Napoléon's parents and several other relatives. Don't…
0.28 MILES
Unremarkable from the outside, the old-town house where Napoléon was born and spent his first nine years was ransacked by Corsican nationalists in 1793,…
0.33 MILES
Surprisingly small but in a commanding position facing out to sea, Ajaccio’s ochre-coloured cathedral dates from the 16th century. As well as a depiction…
0.38 MILES
Constructed on the rocky headland during the 16th century, the imposing military fortress that adjoins old Ajaccio still belongs to the army. It has been…
3.94 MILES
Dedicated beach bums generally prefer the sands of Porticcio to Ajaccio's busy city beaches. It’s 15km by road around the bay from Ajaccio, or 6km…
13.99 MILES
Corsica's most important prehistoric site, 20km north of Propriano, preserves extraordinary granite menhirs (standing stones) that were originally erected…
16.35 MILES
Facing across the valley towards its Greek counterpart, barely 100m west, Cargèse’s Catholic church dates from earlier in the 19th century. Its matching…
16.38 MILES
Cargèse’s Greek community had been established in the village for 150 years by the time they erected this Greek Orthodox church, between 1868 and 1874…