Bonifacio

Bonifacio stands on a headland of white limestone at the southern tip of Corsica, with the sea undercutting the cliff so that houses on the edge overhang the drop; the strait to Sardinia is about twelve kilometres wide here. The harbour is a long narrow inlet cut into the rock behind. The Escalier du Roi d'Aragon drops one hundred and eighty-seven steps down the cliff face at a steep angle, and legend claims it was cut in a single night during a siege in 1420, which is not credible; it more likely served a freshwater well. Genoese fortifications ring the upper town, and sea caves are visited by boat.

History

Two prehistoric sites lie near Bonifacio: the rock shelter of Araguina-Sennola, where the burial of the "Lady of Bonifacio" has been dated to about 6570 BC, and the Middle Neolithic chambered tomb of Vasculacciu; flint from Monte Arci in Sardinia shows that the strait was a route into Corsica from the earliest times. Bonifacio may be the Roman town of Marianum, listed by Ptolemy at the southern tip of the island, and the strait carried heavy shipping. Corsica passed from Rome to the Vandals in 469, back to the Eastern Empire in 534, to the Lombards in 725 and, after Charlemagne, to the Papacy, which in 828 gave its defence to the margrave of Tuscany, under whom the fortress town was founded (Wikipedia, Bonifacio, Corse-du-Sud).

What to look for

• The undercut cliffs - white limestone with houses overhanging the drop.
• The King of Aragon stair - 187 steps cut steeply down the cliff face.
• The fjord harbour - a narrow inlet cut deep into the rock.
• The sea caves - grottoes along the coast reached by boat.

When to go

May to June and September to October; July and August are extremely crowded and hot. The stairway closes in wet or windy conditions. Boat trips depend on sea state.

Before you go

The stair is steep, slippery when wet and closed often; the climb back is hard. Summer parking and traffic in the upper town are severe. Erosion has closed sections of cliff path.

Nearby

The Lavezzi islands lie offshore; Porto-Vecchio is north.