Well protected yet easily accessible, this port is much appreciated by yachtsmen. It is also a fishing and trading port for the export of products from Balagne.

With its cafes and restaurants, its quays planted with palm trees, its yachts and fishing boats, the lower town offers an arresting contrast to the silent old streets of the upper town. With its pastel facades and shops, the Rue Clemenceau is the main thoroughfare.

The name Calvi comes from the Latin word "calvus" meaning "bald", in reference to the bare rock upon which the citadel was built. On its rocky promontory, the citadel district bears witness to six centuries of Genoese presence. The ochre walls of its fortified surrounding walls stand imposingly above the lower town and port. Calvi’s old town is a maze of steep narrow streets and staircases lined by houses that are gradually being restored.

From the cemetery looking over the sea, there is a view over the Citadel from which stands out the Dome of John the Baptist's Church, the lower town, the bay and the beach.

Bordered to the northeast by the Désert des Agriates and by the Fango Valley to the southwest, La Balagne has two major seaside resorts, Calvi and L'île-Rousse, backing onto the hinterland. The Artisans de Balagne Craft Route will take you through some superb high-perched towns, surrounded by orchards and vineyards. Don't miss Montemaggiore on its promontory, the charming paved streets of Sant'Antonino or Pigna, which has come to symbolise the country's musical and craft traditions.

Attractive architecture with colonnades inspired by the ancients for this covered market which is held every morning; produce of Balagne and fresh fish.

An attractive rectangular square which is shaded by large plane trees and bordered by cafes. It's the meeting place for the local boules' players. In the middle palm trees enclose a fountain topped by the bust of Pascal Paoli who founded the port of Isula Rossa in 1758.

Joined to the town by a dyke containing the yachting marina, this island formed of ochre and red rocks pitted with holes, has some attractive points of view over the neighbouring islands, the port and the Balagne hills.

This church was built around 1280, a date which corresponds to the end of the Pisan Romanesque period in Corsica. Renowned for its chequered exterior of green serpentine stone and white limestone, the church’s carved ornamentation is often naive in character. The building’s wonderful harmony is enhanced by its setting and the view from here, which extends from St-Florent to the Désert des Agriates.

This pass (alt 536m) marks the end of the ridge which separates the east and west sides of Cap Corse. It also marks the border between this region and the Nebbio. The strong libecciu west wind can be violent, but nothing can detract from the sight of the Gulf of St-Florent, the Nebbio, Bastia and the eastern plain.

The small creek of the former Porto Cardo is now a lively and colourful fishing port and marina which lies at the foot of the citadel and its 15C keep. Blue- and white-painted boats and fishermen mending their nets attract visitors to the quayside, where they can admire the scene from numerous café terraces.

The road to Monte Stello climbs up a slope overlooking the sea, home to the villages of Poretto and Pozzo. Park your car there and get ready to embark on the 3hr walk up to the top (1 307m). You will be rewarded with a stunning view which unfolds over the entire headland, taking in the Gulf of St-Florent and the undulating Agriates hinterland, the Balagne and the foothills of the central mountain ranges. The Tuscan archipelago can be glimpsed on the horizon to the east.