Corte – is a French city located in the administrative region of Corsica, in the Haute-Corse department. in the Mediterranean island of Corsica – France.
Corte is located at the foot of the Monte Rotondo Massif, the second largest mountain on the island. The community encompasses the whole of the Rostonica valley, sharing the Taviniano plateau with Kasamatsioli. It includes several important mountain peaks such as Monte Rotondo (2,622 m), Monte Cardo (2,453 m) and Punta Ale Porte (2,313 m).
With its ravines and mountains, Corte has always played a significant military role. In the 9th century, the town was an important city and was conquered by the Republic of Genoa in the 13th century. In 1419, the lord Vincentello d’Istria conquered the place and built the citadel. Later, the Bank of St. George (the military financial institution of the Genoese) received the city from the hands of the feudal lords of Campo Fregosso.
Corte was the birthplace of Joseph Bonaparte (1768–1844), the eldest brother of the French Emperor Napoleon I, who made him King of Naples (1806–1808) and Spain (1808–1813).
Centrally located on the island, Corte is the historical and cultural capital of Corsica. The “city paoline” was indeed chosen by Pascal Paoli as the capital of independent Corsica (between 1755 and 1769). Its citadel has housed the Museum of Corsica since 1997.
Access : Coordinates : 42.3064, 9.1514 / Due to the location in the middle of the mountains in the center of the island, all roads lead into the city on mountain roads, which are for the most part very well developed. With public transport such as train and bus, Corte is easily accessible from all major transport hubs such as Bastia, Ajaccio, Aleria and Bonifacio.
/ By train : Corte is also linked to Ajaccio, Bastia and Calvi by the Chemin de fer de la Corse (Corsican Railway / By road : from the north of the island by RT 20 (ex-RN 193), road connecting the city to Bastia and Balagne via Ponte-Leccia.from the south of the island, by RT 20 (ex-RN 193), road connecting the city to Ajaccio via the Vizzavona pass and Sartene via the Sorba, Verde and Vaccia pass by the old RN 194, now D69.
by RT 50 (ex-RN 200), from the east of the island; the road connects the city to Cateraggio Aleria on the eastern plain, and further on to Porto-Vecchio and then Bonifacio. /
/ By boat : Corte is 64 km from the nearest commercial port of L’Ile-Rousse, 71 km from the commercial port of Bastia, and 80 km from that of Ajaccio.
Highlights :
- Citadel of Corte : The Corte Citadel (nicknamed the Eagle’s Nest) is a 18th-century citadel built around a 18th-century castle and 1984 “Museum of Corsica” in Corte in Haute-Corse. The citadel has been classified as a historical monument since August 10, 1977. / House of birth of Joseph Bonaparte (1768)
- National Palace (Palais National) (Place d’Armes) : The Palazzu Nazionale, built in the eighteenth century – the first half of the eighteenth century, is the seat of the institutions of the ephemeral Corsican state from 1755 to 1768. Court. It was a school (formerly Paoli College) that closed in 1921. Abandoned, it became a mobilization center until 1940, then a military clothing and coordinating center from 1944 to 1945. The Palazzu is listed as a Historical Monument.
- Maison Arrighi de Casanova : The Arrighi de Casanova house, rebuilt in 1760 after a fire, is located at 1, Place du Poilu, below the ramparts of the citadel, near the main front door. It was inhabited by the parents of Napoleon I in 1768. That year, January 7, Joseph Bonaparte was born. Ten years later, on March 8, 1778, Jean-Thomas Arrighi de Casanova, Duke of Padua, was born. A plaque above the front door commemorates this event.The house is listed in Historic Monuments.
- Church of the Annunciation of Corte : The church of the Annunciation of Corte, located in the old town, is dated from the eighteenth to the eighteenth centuries. It was built in 1459 by Monsignor Ambroise Arrighi of Omessa, Bishop of Aleria. She is known for holding a piece of cloth from one of the dresses of the blessed John Paul II, offered on May 1, 2011 by a parishioner who kept a relic of the former pope. The religious building became the parish church of Corte under the general of Pascal Paoli.
- Church of San Giovanni Battista de Corte / Santa Mariona di Talcini Church / Chapel of the Holy Cross / Chapel of Saint Anthony of Padua. This small chapel of Saint Anthony of Padua is located above the Avenue of New September in the suburb of Saint Anthony, near the new bridge on the Restonica. / Fountain at the beginning of the boardwalk called Rampe Sainte Croix from the Cours Paoli to the Chapel of Sainte Croix.
- Campotille beech grove : The area of 294 hectares, is located in the upper valley of Tavignano, north of Pianu di Campotile, the forest extends between 700 meters and 1,550 meters. / Museum of Corsica / University of Corsica Pasquale Paoli.
- Gorges and forest of Restonica : Covering an area of 2,270 hectares, the area concerns the Restonica tributary of Tavignano parallel course. The river has its source at Lake Melo at 1,711 meters above sea level, in the Monte Rotondo massif. It first has a rough path, through gorges cashed, then joined the Tavignano at 400 meters above sea level, at the height of the city. The tiered forest between 600 and 1,500 meters above sea level is mainly lowland in the lower part of the forest.
- Natura 2000 : Corte is concerned by a site of Community interest (Dir Habitat) and two special protection areas / The “Restonica Valley” SPA, site of the Natura 2000 “Birds” directive, covers an area of ??6,430 ha, between 550 and 2622 meters above sea level. A major site for the conservation of bio-diversity, Its importance lies in the fact that it shelters in the pine forests of altitude, a very important number of the numbers of Corsican nuthatches, strict endemic bird of Corsica.
- Place Paoli. This is the place where the old city begins: Course Paoli Street, the main street of the new city, leaves horizontally from the square, and a staircase rises up the hill to the old city. Here you can clearly see how the relatively new buildings of the 18th-19th centuries are replaced by much older ones.
- Belvedere. Several viewing platforms in the southwestern part of the old city. Wonderful views of the valleys of Restonica, Tavignano, as well as the citadel itself.
Activities : Canyoning / Enjoy Local gastronomy / sightseeing / photo opportunities / trekking / Get out , As there are many students, the town of Corte is full of bars, nightclubs, branch bars / From the “eagle nest” one has a wonderful view of the surroundings /
Go next : Restonica Valley , The Restonica Valley is in Upper Corsica. / Bastia is a city on the French island of Corsica. / Ajaccio (Corsican: Aiacciu) is the capital of the French Mediterranean island of Corsica / Porto Vecchio / Bonifacio / Coti-Chiavari
