Corse-du-Sud
in Corsica

The south of Corsica contains the island's most celebrated beaches and its most dramatic coastline, and makes no apology for either. Palombaggia is one of those places where the photographs are entirely accurate and the reality somehow still exceeds them: pink granite boulders, pines growing sideways over white sand, water that cycles through four shades of blue depending on the depth. Bonifacio sits on chalk cliffs above a narrow strait, its citadel hanging over the sea with a certain theatrical confidence. Ajaccio, Napoleon's birthplace, is a proper Corsican city with a covered market, excellent charcuterie, and the unhurried atmosphere of somewhere that does not need to impress anyone. The Calanques de Piana, rock formations of deep red porphyry above the Gulf of Porto, are among the most extraordinary landscapes in the Mediterranean. Hire a car, drive slowly, and stop often.