Wednesday October 2 was a mix of sun and cloud with a high of 25C. We decided to take a day trip to the picturesque town of L'Ile Rousse (population around 3,220). The town is only 24km north of Calvi, but one gets there by an old slow-moving train that takes around 45 minutes. It meanders along the scenic coastline. We had decided to go on Wednesday as rain was predicted for all-day on Thursday (so much for Paradise!)
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| Outside of our apartment building in Calvi |
After getting some provisions for dinner at a great traiteur about three minutes from our apartment, we headed down to the beach just minutes away. Our train did not leave until 12:35, so we had time to wander.
There are 18 very short stops along the way. The first one is at a pine forest on the edge of Calvi-- the boardwalk on the beach goes all the way to the pine forest.
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| Passing the boardwalk and pine trees in the train |
Corsica's trademark fragrance is the maquis (scrubland) carried on the wind from the mountains to the coast. The mix pf plants includes eucalyptus, juniper, rosemary, heather, myrtle, sage, mint, thyme and lavender. The yellow immortelle has the most distinctive aroma and is one of the most celebrated plants.
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| The landscape-- rocky, hilly- lots of scrub |
We arrived at L'Ile Rousse at 1:20 p.m. Lots of sun and warm. We noticed that everyone was heading down a road along the coast, so we followed suit.
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| Arrival |
As we left the train station, there was a view of an old Genoese Tower (16th century) on the attached Pietra's islets, distinguished by their red rock. L'Ile Rousse (Red Island-- named after the red rock) has been inhabited since very ancient times (between 5000-3000 BC). In 1000 BC, it was a small prosperous town called Agilla; it was dependent on Tyre in Phoenicia. The town then came under Roman rule until the 4th century AD. It was subject to so many invasions that its inhabitants moved to other villages.
The city's modern day founder was Pasquale Paoli, a Corsican emblematic figure of the 18th century. He was a politician, philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment and General of the Corsican nation. From the village of Monticello, Paoli saw the potential of this fishing village to counter the Genoese domination. From 1758-1769, he built a port and a fortified town to compete with the maritime traffic between Genoa and Calvi. He wanted to create a port that would not be in the hands of the Genoese.
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| View to the northwest of the islets with Tower |
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| Walking into town along coast- vestiges of the old fortification from 1765 |
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| Houses on the bay |
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Beginning of beach walk- Promenade de la Marinella-- notes:
"Our friends, the dogs are forbidden from the beaches unless on a leash." |
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| Info-- looking back to islets |
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| We watched this guy take off, then fall in the water and get back up again |
Try again
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| La petite sirène de L'Ile Rousse |
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| War Memorial-- most names were from WWI |
The main square - Place Paoli had a number of booths set up with local products, crafts, beer and cooked food. There were also a number of carnival rides and a small stage. We stopped at the tourist office to get a map and found out that there was an annual festival going on in the Square.
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| Buzzy main square |
We decided to wander around the small town and get a bite to eat.
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| The old town |
We stopped to share a marinara pizza--- with anchovies, olives and a very nice tomato sauce. View of the water.
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| No dairy--- light crust-- very tasty |
We then walked over to Le Bon Café, a coffee roaster, which was just reopening at 3:00 p.m. There is definitely a siesta time in Corsica, which of course can vary. 1:00-3:00 p.m. seems to be the norm for some businesses.
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| Beautiful outside of the coffee roaster- Le Bon Café |
We had read about this roastery. It does not sell coffee drinks (not authorized to), but does sell its freshly roasted beans.
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| The roastery |
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| We had a nice chat with the roasters, and bought some beans |
The roaster told us that Café des Platanes located on one side of Place Paoli carried their beans. The Café is run by the Luciani family who have been ice cream artisans for three generations. They have a very large seating area on Place Paoli in the shade of the 100 year old plane trees. It has been in operation since 1928.
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| Seating in the square with our coffees, looking back at the Café |
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| In front of café looking at the seating in the square- Alain is a bit hidden from view |
After our coffees, we got an icecream to go-- Alain had pistachio (his favourite) and I had pear sorbet.
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| Alain with his pistachio ice cream |
We walked along the Promenade de la Marinella near the beach. Lots of fun events for the kids.
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| Arriving to pick us up in L'Ile Rousse |
We got back to Calvi at 7:00 p.m. As we walked back to the apartment, it started to rain. Looks like we are going to be socked in for the next day. We had a dinner of cooked chicken legs, tabbouleh, green salad and wine. We were very happy we made the trip to I'Ile Rousse. A fascinating history, beautiful beach and old town. Nice to have been there for a festival. Another lovely Corsican resort town.
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