Bonifacio welcomes travelers to Corsica

Corsica really earned its worth from drawing on the fame of one of history's greatest names: Napoleon Bonaparte.  Napoleon was born in Ajaccio, capital of Corsica, on the western part of the island.  In fact, so many who were loyal to him were connected with Corsica: his faithful servant was from Lama, his devoted doctor (who later accompanied him to St. Helena) was from Morsiglia in the north, captain of Napoleon's gendarmarie came from Bastelica in the central, just to name a few.  This tenacious tread linking these Corsicans to the history of France may seem strangely at odds with the relationship between Corsica and Mainland France in our time.  

Situated at the southern tip and seemingly a peninsular all by itself, Bonifacio is the gateway to Corsica. The stunning white cliffs and cobalt blue sea is quite a sight to behold.  Here, men submit in servitude to nature: the entire seaside town is built along the natural features of the landscape.  

The defensive wall and bastion sit high on the top of the cliff, overlooking a bustling harbour below. History is a little blurry on the origin of Bonaficio, but we know for sure that by 12th century when the Genoese came there was a strong settlement here.  

Napoleone de Buonaparte (as he was then called) lived in Bonifacio briefly during the Maddalene expedition.  Even then, the "Independentist" was a strong opposition to mainland France, and smugglers (mostly Corsicans) were much hated by the French Party.  The house where he lived now sports a commemorative plaque.  Even though sunshine is aplenty, the tall houses seem to shield most of it from the narrow streets between them.  Small cafés, bakeries, and the occasional restaurants blend into the stone-washed colours of the nostalgic town.

The daytime sightseeing groups give way to a more chillax crowd freely deposited among the dozen or so harbour-side restaurants.  As the darkened silhouette of the hilltop castle loomed large, the evening dissolves into quiet indulgence of local seafood and cured meat, washed down with the refreshingly aromatic Corsican wines. 

http://www.bonifaciocorsica.net/history.html

科西嘉島在世界享負盛名的其中一個原因，必定是關於歷史上一位重要人物 — 拿破倫。拿破倫出生於科西嘉島西部的首府Ajaccio，除此之外，很多位忠心於拿破倫的人都與這小島扯上關係：拿破倫一位非常忠心的僕人來自科西嘉島的Lama、拿破倫的專用醫生來自小島北部的Morsiglia (其後他更跟隨拿破倫到聖赫勒拿島)、拿破倫的憲兵司令來自小島中部的Bastelica。從這些關係我們仍然可以看到科西嘉島與法國大陸在歷史上密不可分的關係。  

位於科西嘉島南端的半島Bonifacio 是到小島其中的一個主要通道。岸邊險要的白色懸崖與珊瑚綠的海水成了一個強烈而美麗的對比。人們在岸邊興建了這個小鎮，成了自然景觀的一部份。護城牆與城樓屹立在懸崖的最頂，飽覽下面熙來攘往的港口。歷史書上並沒有很多關於Bonaficio 起源的介紹，但我們知道十二世紀熱那亞人入侵科西嘉島時，在這裏聚居的人已經有自己很強大的勢力。拿破倫曾經在Bonifacio 短暫居住，他的屋子仍然掛有紀念他的牌子。

 

這小鎮由無數石頭小屋組成，之間交織著縱橫交錯的小街道。即使是在烈日當空的日子，小街道兩旁高高的房子為行人擋去大部份的猛烈的陽光，在這裏散步會真是很悠然自得。通常日間的遊人都會把這裏的小街及餐廳擠得水泄不通，但是黃昏一來臨，小鎮又會回復寧靜。晚餐時間，緊記要到當地的餐廳享用道地的海鮮及醃製過的肉類，並配以清新香氣馥郁的科西嘉酒，去完結美滿的一天。

 

http://www.bonifaciocorsica.net/history.html