Haute-Corse
in Corsica

Most people land in the south and stay there. Those who head north find something considerably harder to leave. The granite peaks of the interior rise to nearly 2700 metres and hold snow well into June, while the Castagniccia chestnut forest covers the eastern hills in a canopy so dense the villages beneath it feel genuinely remote. The Cap Corse peninsula curls into the Mediterranean like a finger pointing north, with fishing ports, Genoese towers, and a coastal path that is best walked over two or three days with no particular hurry. Bastia is a working port city that has no interest in performing for visitors and is considerably more interesting for it. The Patrimonio wine appellation in the north produces some of the most characterful bottles on the island. Haute-Corse is Corsica before the beach crowds arrive and after they leave.