Photo : Jean-Pol Grandmont / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)
Towns & cities · Corse-du-Sud
Porto-Vecchio
Founded in 1539 by the Genoese to control this vast natural gulf, Porto-Vecchio, in the Corse-du-Sud, long lived from the salt of its salt marshes before becoming one of the most popular seaside destinations in Corsica.
The fortified old town, perched on its rocky spur, keeps gates and ramparts from which the view plunges onto the marina below and the turquoise waters of the gulf. Around it, fragrant pine woods hide some of the island's most famous beaches, such as Palombaggia and Santa Giulia, with clear water, fine sand and pink granite rocks. Restaurants, bars and shops fill the citadel's lanes every summer, making the 'salt town' a key meeting point of the far south of Corsica.
