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.Things we like to do in Bastia The History of Bastia, Important Sites in Bastia, Getting to Bastia
The city of Bastia is located towards the North East of
Corsica, and acts as one of the primary entry points for the island. A centre for gastronomy and wine, and with
the main airport and ferry port for the Island, it is more than likely that you will get to spend
at least some time in this city whenever you visit the island of Corsica.
In this our guide we aim to introduce you to some of the main attractions of Bastia, and recommend
some of our highlights.
See Also: Our Restaurant listings for Bastia
Things we like to do in Bastia.
 From the ferry port walk towards the Main Square, one of the largest in Europe, continue along the coast towards the old port, wondering along the beak water. Waking along the port side will bring you as close as you can get to one of the busiest ferry ports in Europe, and also one of the most accessible, with ferries mooring well within easy view of all, and a safe distance away to safely bring children. This is especially true of the bridge over the road and the break water area between the new and the old ports. Beyond this is the old port with its eclectic mix of fishing and pleasure boats. walking along side of the old port with its busy restaurants and bars. Behind these is the main church and on the other side of the port you will find stairs up via the Romieu gardens to the Citadel. A pleasant walk for any one with an hour or so to while away whilst waiting for a ferry or just with time to spend. Like most French cities, trying to "do" Bastia on an agenda will guarantee to annoy you and not show you the city in its best light.
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History of Bastia
 Bastia was founded in 1378, when the Genoese governor
Leonello Lomellini left the Castle of Biguglia to establish a fortified site "a Bastia".
The site overlooked a small
fishing port known then as Porto cardo (the present Vieux Port, or Old Port)
Succeeding governors used
the same residence.
From this installation of
Genoese citizens and from the construction of ramparts to protect the new
habitation grew a new quarter: Terra Nova (the present Citadel).
The old Porto Cardo then
became known as Terra Vecchia.
The ramparts were completed
in 1480 and fifty years later, in 1530, the Governors’ Palace was completed,
backing onto the old keep.
During the 16th and 17th
centuries, the high town followed the traditions of Genoese towns: straight
streets in a grid pattern.
Many religious brotherhoods
were set up and an intense cultural life developed.
From the end of the 18th
century, the town prospered and its population grew considerably. During the
19th century, the town stretched towards the north and to higher ground. The
urban landscape was in profound change: construction of the Law Courts,
extension of the Place Saint Nicolas, construction of many bourgeois residences
on wide boulevards.
The heart of the town
already had the basic appearance that we can admire today.
A few dates from Bastia’s history
1378 : The Genoese governor
Leonello Lomellini left the Biguglia château and established a fortified site
"a Bastia" which he had built on the
promontory overlooking the Vieux Port known then as Porto
Cardo.
1480 : The ramparts werecompleted.
1530 : Completion of the
Governor’s Palace.
16/17th centuries : Many
religious brotherhoods were set up and a rich cultural and artistic life
developed.
1768 : Corsica became French and the Genoese domination ended.
1794 : The British took
possession of the town for two years.
1796 :Bastia became once again the capital of the
department of Golo.
19th century : the town
prospered and developed towards the north and to higher ground.
20th century : In the early
20th century, the new port was completed and the town continued its expansion
towards the quarters of Toga and Saint
Joseph.
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Important Historic Sites
 Eglise SaintCharles-Borromée (XVII)
It is one of the rare
churches in Christendom that does not offer the right of sanctuary: this
condition was imposed by the Genoese before authorising its construction. Its
imposing baroque façade looks down on a superb flight of steps.
Inside, the white walls and
pilasters make the nave seem even larger than it is. Only the superb altarpiece
of the high altar is richly decorated. The painting of the Virgin of Lavasina
(celebrated on the 8 September) is set in an iconic-style gilded wooden glory.
Couvent Saint-François
This convent, the largest
and richest in Corsica, was built in 1521 and
deconsecrated at the beginning of the French Revolution, when it became a military
hospital. Today it is disused.
A restoration project is
under way, and in a few years’ time the convent should be the home of the
National School of Music and Dance.
Eglise Saint Jean Baptiste
(XVII / XVIII)
The Church of Saint John the Baptist, of imposing proportions, was built as we see it today between 1636
and 1666 on the site of an old chapel. Neo-classic in style, it is the largest
church in Corsica.
The towers on the façade
were added later. The one on the left was built in 1813 by a Swiss master
mason, Tomaso Quadri, and the one on the right in 1864 by an architect from Bastia, Paul Augustin
Viale.
Oratoire de la Confrérie de
l'Immaculée Conception (XVIII)
The Brotherhood of the
Immaculate Conception was instituted in Bastia in 1588, and its chapel was completed to its present size by 1609.
The white marble facing
which covers the façade was done in 1859, the work of Italian masons
established in Bastia (Giuseppe Lucciani, Giuseppe Bertolucci and Camillo Perutelli). In the centre,
the great baroque entrance in Carrare marble is older, dating from 1704.
Protocathédrale Sainte-Marie
de l'Assomption (XVII)
The cathedral of the diocese
of Mariana was built at Bastia,
residence of bishops, between 1600 and 1622, on the site of a church, Santa
Maria della Consolazione, dating from the end of the 15th century.
This earlier church – that
the people of Bastia called Santa Maria l'arrembata because it was built
on a rock- was too small to contain the congregation, once Terra nova, the
Genoese town enclosed in its ramparts, was built.
 Oratoire de la Confrérie deSaint-Roch (XVII)
The Brotherhood of Saint
Roch was established in 1588. The building w as first
constructed in 1590, then the original chapel was demolished and reconstructed
in its present proportions in 1604.
The façade was done later,
in a neoclassical style. Four Tuscan order columns support an entablature
crowned with a large triangular pediment.
The great white marble gate,
topped by the pilgrims’ scallop shell, was sculpted in 1860 by the mason
Giuseppe Bertolucci.
Oratoire Notre Dame de
Monserato (XVI)
Dedicated to Saint Pancras,
this little chapel in natural surroundings has an extremely rare set of
"Holy Stairs". Pope Pius VII granted this distinguished privilege to
the people of Bastia in the 19th century.
Couvent Saint-Antoine (XVI)
The Quarter of
Saint-Antoine. Capuchin Order. Dating from the 16th century, the Church of the
Convent has a very fine main altar decorated with the tabernacle, which is the
work of a Franciscan monk.
This convent has often
served as a refuge, even as a fort. From its terrace, one has a splendid
panorama over the town. Feast day - 13 June.
Eglise Saint-Joseph (XVII)
Founded in 1626, this old
church of the Convent of the Servants of Mary actually belongs to the local
population. The very active arch brotherhood of Saint Joseph occupies the premises that it
has restored and continues to maintain with care.
The feast day of Saint Joseph is the 19
March. On this day, the Brotherhood walk in procession round the local area
carrying the statue of the saint. Panzarotti, the traditional fritters eaten on
the day are made from rice or chick pea flour.
Chapelle de L'Annonciade
(XVII)
The Annonciade district of
Bastia. Inside, a very fine high altar from the end of the 18th century. The chapel has lost its
original decor. All around it, buildings have sprung up in recent years,
transforming this little country chapel into an urban religious centre.
Eglise Saint Etienne de
Cardo
Built in 1835 in a
neo-classical style, its interior decor includes several interesting 18th
paintings, as well as two 17th century wooden statues.
The fine organ loft supports
an interesting neo-Gothic Italian organ.
Couvent Saint Angelo
Previously occupied by the
Reformed Fathers, it was successively a hospital for the poor, a home for
illegitimate children and a headquarters for seconded soldiers.
The convent and the church
are now home to various cultural associations of the town. The church was
dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel, and
construction began in 1645. The various statues and paintings which decorated
the church were taken to other religious buildings in the town.
 Oratoire de la Confrérie de
la Sainte Croix (XV)
The chapel of Sainte-Croix :
the Sainte Croix brotherhood is the oldest in the town, existing already in the
early 15th century
The chapel was rebuilt with
its present proportions in 1600.
In front of the main façade,
the square is decorated with a mosaic of multicoloured pebbles; it is in the
Genoese tradition and was mentioned in the chronicles in 1660. It has been
restored several times; in its present state it dates back to 1818. It was listed
as a Historic Monument in 1931.
Le village de Cardo
Typical Corsican village,
5mn from the town centre. Superb panoramic view over Bastia and its surroundings.
CARDO, the village in the
heart of Bastia.
To get to the village of CARDO from Bastia,
take Saint Florent street on the right of the Law Courts above Boulevard Paoli. Follow the signs to the
convent Saint Antoine; it dates back to the 16th century.
Le Thêatre
In 1874, the construction of
a new theatre began, to replace the theatre on the market-place which dated
from the 18th century and had been destroyed by fire. The work was undertaken
by the Italian architect Andrea Scala who had designed the theatre of Pisa.
It was opened in 1879 and in
the Belle Epoque (the Edwardian period) it was highly esteemed by the reputedly
demanding audiences of Bastia.
The trial of the bandit Spada took place here in 1935. Seriously damaged by
bombing in 1943, the restoration was completed in 1980.
Le Palais de justice
For a long time, justice was
done at Bastia in the old missionary convent (now the Jean Nicoli lycée, or secondary school),
part of which was used by the army. When the magistrates demanded real Law
Courts, the site chosen, in 1841, was the old Jesuits’ garden.
The decision to build was
taken in 1847, and work started in 1852 (the first stone was laid on the 25
July of that year) to the plans of the architect Cotin, and was completed in
1855.
Le Palais des Gouverneurs
The Governors’ Palace was
built onto a tower, itself built in 1380 by a Genoese noble, Leonello
Lomellino. The tower - la bastia – which gave
its name to the town was strategically situated on the promontory overlooking
the bay of Porto Cardo (the Vieux Port of Bastia
today) and was very soon transformed into a castello, a bigger defensive
structure than a simple watch tower.
The château became the
permanent residence of the Governors of Genoa in Corsica at the end of the 15th century, although the date of 1453 is traditionally
considered as the date of installation.
Le Jardin Romieu
The Romieu gardens were
created in 1870 as a place to walk, but over the years it became less
frequented. Conscious of the interest of such a park, the town of Bastia wished to change
it so that people would once again be attracted to walk in it.
It was meant to provide the
link between the restored Citadel and the renovated Old Port.
La Place Saint Nicolas
Considered as one of the
largest squares in France (300 m long and 90 m wide), it takes its name from a chapel built in the 11th
century and destroyed when the esplanade was extended in the 19th century.
Bibliothèque Municipale
The Ancient Documents
Collection (Fonds Ancien) has more than 50,000 books, ancient parchments and
rare documents.
Chemin de Monserato
The Monserato pathway is
just a 5 minutes’walk from the town-centre, and provides a fine walk through
gardens and fountains.
Fontaine et anse de Ficajola
In past times, ships would
anchor in this bay.
Architecture du XIX siècle
The town-centre has many
19th century buildings.
Vieux Port de Bastia
This is the historic heart of the city. At the
foot of the Citadel is the fishing and sailing port of Bastia.
For an overall view, you have to go to the Dragon jetty built in the 19th
century. From there, when the visibility is good (often when the
"Libecciu" is blowing) you can see the Tuscan Islands: Elba,
Capraia and Monte Cristo.
Citadelle - Remparts
The Louis XVI gate, main
entrance to the citadel. Ramparts of the citadel.
Place du marché
A charming market, full of
colour and scent. Every morning, from Tuesday to Sunday (it is busier at the
weekend), come and immerse yourself in the warm atmosphere of the traditional
market. On the stalls, cooked meats,
cheeses, fish and other Corsican gastronomic specialities are offered with a
typically Mediterranean loquacious patter.
Chapelle Notre Dame de
Monserato
This chapel is also called
the Chapel of the Holy Stairs (Scala Santa). In 1811, 424 Roman priests who refused
to pledge allegiance to the Emperor Napoleon I were exiled to Corsica.
The priests were well
received by the Bastia population who treated them with the greatest respect.
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Getting to Bastia
BASTIA AIRPORT:
Bastia Poretta airport is
situated 20 km south of the town-centre and every year sees more than 800,000
passengers. Flights link Poretta airport to the main French towns and cities as
well as to Germany, England, Morocco,
Sweden, Luxembourg and Italy.
Visit the airport’s internet
site : http://www.bastia.aeroport.fr/
Shuttle bus and taxis,
Airport - Bastia regular service:
The Bastia Bus Company :
33(0)4.95.31.06.65
Taxis : 33(0)4.95.36.04.05
BASTIA PORT:
 Situated in the centre ofthe town, the port of Bastia is the number
one Mediterranean port and the second French port for traffic, with 2 million
passengers per year. There are ferries to Marseilles,
Nice, Toulon, Genoa,
Livorno and Savone.
Visit the commercial port’s
internet site :
http://www.bastia.port.fr
http://www.bastiaport.net
Harbour Master’s Office,
commercial port : 33(0)4.95.55.25.00
SNCM
32.60 - www.sncm.fr
CORSICA FERRIES
0.825.095.095 -
www.corsicaferries.com
CMN
0.810.20.13.20 - www.cmn.fr
MOBY LINE
33(0)4.95.34.84.94 -
www.mobylines.it
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