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Calvi and the Balagne region

CALVI: CITADEL OF CORSICA


APARTEMENT RENTALS IN CORSICA

Beyond the ramparts, the vast old residences seem to supervise the coasts. The Phoenicians, a people of maritime traders, would have used this bay as a shelter in the 5th century BCE. But it was by the time of the Genoese occupation (XIII century) that the citadel of Calvi was built. Even if the beaches of the Gulf of Calvi extend for miles, the city itself is quite small (apartment rental at only 1km 200 from Calvi center, 20 minutes by foot). However, one gets lost with great pleasure in the alleys and staircases of the citadel, among the often quirky houses but all plastered in soft colors.


A little advice: if you didn't came by train, but by car, it is better to park it before visiting Calvi, maybe at your free parking place that is reserved for you when you stay at one of our hotels in Calvi or if you prefer in one of our residences in Calvi. That will be a good idea.
No doubt your steps will take you immediately to the port: The Quay offer the best viewpoint on the Citadel. You will see an isolated dungeon, just in front of the ramparts, is the tower of salt. It used to be a warehouse, after being erected as a fortification.
Calvi between beaches and ramparts (at just 20 minutes by foot from your apartment rental in Calvi):


APARTEMENT RENTALS IN CALVI


In fact the ramparts shelter a second city. After crossing the monumental gate you arrive in the former palace of Genoese governors, nowadays a barracks of the French army. In front of it stands the Giubega Palace, which was the residence of the bishops of Sagone in Calvi.

Between the two, on the left, the church of St. John Baptist deserves a visit, because it houses a miraculous crucifix: it is an ebony cross that is called Black Christ, or Christ of Miracles. During the siege of Calvi by the Marshal de Termes, in 1555, the calvais went around the ramparts in procession with that crucifix to chase the enemy ... .and miracle; the siege was raised. In Calvi, we don't refuse the wondrous.

Moreover, we like to say that the navigator Christopher Columbus was born here. On the heights of the citadel, you will indeed see a plaque fixed near the vestiges of walls that it identifies as those of the birthplace of Christopher Columbus. It is true that he was Genoese, just like the city of Calvi. It is also said that the navigator gave typical Corsican names to some fishes found in the Caribbean Sea. Why not after all? And what happened to the house? It was destroyed by english bullets, launched during the siege of 1794 . During this historic episode, among the audacious British officers who attempted the assault was a certain Horatio Nelson. And it was in Calvi that he lost an eye.
In the maze of alleys you will also see a plaque evoking the stay of Napoleon Bonaparte in Calvi in 1792.He was seeking refuge after fleeing Ajaccio, where he had opposed the independence supporters of Paoli, before leaving Corsica to the destiny that we all know.
In order to enjoy the best out of your visit to the citadel of Calvi or its beaches, we can offer you a room in our hotel in Calvi located at the foot of the ramparts of the citadel.

At Calvi, history awaits you at the corner of its streets, its stairs and your room in our hotel or apartment.

From your apartment in Calvi, go down to the city. Than take a look at the most extraordinary monument of Calvi: the tower of the church of Santa Maria Maggiore. This sharp tower was built in the nineteenth century near a circular building housing among other things, a remarkable organ of the eighteenth century. The church itself, it's beautiful and baroque and stands between the squares Crudeli and Dr. Marchal: their terraces are ideal for observing the bustle of Calvi in summer, waiting for the time to catch the train or to return to your room at your hotel in Calvi.

Centrale locative Calvi