Arriving by boat to the island we'll see why Corsica has been called a mountain in the sea, as it boasts 50 peaks stretching over 2,000 metres.
We can look forward to sailing into a beautiful bay with mountains in view of the town. Ajaccio is the island's capital and is most famous for being the birthplace and early home of Napoleon Bonaparte. In fact, the self-styled 'Cité Impériale' still carries a grand architectural and cultural air.
The main thing about Ajaccio is Napoleon. Seems just about everything in the city is either about him, was his, or was erected to honor him. One interesting place to visit while we're there is the Bonaparte House, home to the Bonaparte family since the 17th century.So if Napoleon doesn't float your boat, and the famous Fesch Museum will be closed that day, there's not much else to see in Ajaccio.
We could take an excursion to A Cupulatta, the Turtle Protection Center. It is over an hour drive from the port so we'd either try for a taxi, or we could take the 3 hour ship excursion.
The 8000 year old prehistoric site of Filitosa looks interesting. Think of it as a Mediterranean Easter Island. We would have to take a taxi there, about an hour drive.
Or we can wander around this cute little town without a plan and see what we can find. Ajaccio’s market is busy, colorful, aromatic, and stacked with all kinds of local foodstuffs such as plum and myrtle liqueur, wild-pig sausages, ewe’s cheese, and rich honey comb. Corsica is covered with an impenetrable pungent shrubbery called maquis, which is full of herbs like rosemary, sage, mint and thyme, and berries like juniper, bilberry and eucalyptus. So it’s no wonder that the local food is so tasty. The Market is in the square behind Hôtel de Ville, about 200 metres left of the cruise pier, just inland. It is near the tourist office.
The attractive city square Place Foch lies in at the center of the old town. At the top of the square see an impressive marble statue of Napoleon, atop a fountain of four lions. A smaller but no less interesting sculpture is that of Ajaccio’s patron saint La Madonnuccia, occupying a niche high in a nearby wall. The effigy dates from 1656 when the local government, fearful of infection spreading from plague-ridden Italy, placed the town in the Madonna’s protection. The Place de Foch is a minute’s walk past the market place.
Ajaccio's waterside pavement cafes and palm-lined boulevards are the places to see and be seen while taking in the beautiful bay views. The Old Town, just off the seafront, is less haughty with shady squares and ancient alleyways to explore.
As with Corsica itself, the island's cuisine is best described as somewhere between French and Italian but there are also many aspects which are distinctly Corsican. The earthy style cooking takes its inspiration from the land, with sun-loving fruits and vegetables, cured meats and cheeses. Corsicans take their food and drink very seriously, it is quite common for locals to take a leisurely three-course lunch accompanied by a few glasses of Corsican wine. This also means that standards in restaurants are generally high.I'm pretty sure Ajaccio will be a tasty experience.