👉Calvi: Parachutes, rally cars and lots of steps!

Citadels, beautiful beaches, more knife shops than I have ever seen, and 450 classic rally cars. Corsica delivered far more than we expected on Novera's final voyage of the season.

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10/17/20264 min read

Calvi Steps Up!

One thing we very quickly discovered about Calvi is that it is not a place for the lazy! Built into a steep hillside, the town rewards every climb with another spectacular view. We soon realised that sightseeing here comes with an impressively high step count.

The locals proudly claim that Christopher Columbus was born in Calvi, although historians remain unconvinced. One famous son of the island is beyond dispute, however. Napoleon Bonaparte was born in Corsica, and reminders of the island's rich and fascinating history seem to be everywhere you look.

One of the things that fascinated us most was the Corsican flag. We'd first noticed the distinctive image of a head during the Sardine Festival in Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône and, curious to know more, discovered it was the symbol of Corsica. Unlike the stripes, crosses and stars that feature on so many national flags, this one comes with a far more dramatic story.

According to local legend, a young Corsican woman named Diana was captured by Moorish slavers who planned to sell her in Granada. Her fiancé, Pablo, rescued her, sparking a fierce battle between the Corsicans and the Moors. During the fighting, the Moorish leader, Mansour Ben Ismaïl, was beheaded, and his severed head became the symbol of Corsica, commemorating the islanders' victory and resistance.

Today, the black Moor's head on a white background can be seen everywhere across the island, flying above beautiful harbours, historic citadels and busy ferries coming and going. Standing in peaceful Calvi, surrounded by turquoise water and bustling cafés, it was hard to imagine the turbulent history and legends hidden behind such a striking emblem.

As we climbed to the top of the citadel, we noticed a small sign and doorway belonging to the local parachute regiment. When we finally reached the summit and stood admiring the beautiful bay below, we couldn't help but laugh as a plane appeared overhead and suddenly around twenty parachutists began descending into the crystal-clear water beneath us.

"So that wasn't a historical sign after all!" 😂

It's not the sort of thing you expect to see while enjoying a wander around town, but it was amazing to watch.

Calvi also seems to have a very unusual approach to retail therapy. There appear to be almost as many knife shops as there are clothes shops. Their displays ranged from something you might use to peel an apple to something Indiana Jones would have carried!

This worked out perfectly for us. Tim views knives much the same way I view shoes: you can never have too many. You need different ones for different occasions... just like shoes! 😂

For once, shopping felt a little more evenly balanced in terms of interest.

Slow Days, Good Food and a Beautiful Island

The following days slipped into a wonderfully relaxed rhythm.

We wandered the narrow streets, explored hidden corners of the town and, naturally, continued our research into Corsican food and wine. Travel, after all, is as much about discovering local flavours as it is about discovering local landmarks.

We also made it to the beach, where crystal-clear water and dramatic mountain backdrops create the kind of scenery that hardly seems real. It was one of those places where you find yourself stopping every few minutes simply to take it all in.

To balance out our indulgence, we did manage some practical jobs too. Laundry was tackled, boat maintenance completed, and Novera received a much-needed tidy-up after our long journey. Surely that justified a few evenings of eating out.

An Unexpected Finale

What I love most about travelling is stumbling across things you never planned to see.

As our time in Calvi came to an end, we discovered that the town was hosting the Tour de Calvi Historique. Around 450 classic rally cars had descended on the area for five days of competition across 1,000 kilometres of winding mountain roads.

We wandered over to the parc fermé and, with an extraordinary mountain backdrop, spent a happy afternoon admiring the beautifully maintained rally cars, soaking up the buzz of enthusiastic spectators and listening to the distinctive sounds of engines being tuned in preparation for the next stage.

It was a completely unexpected bonus and a brilliantly memorable way to finish our stay.

Onwards to Ajaccio

Our next stop is an anchorage along the coast before continuing on to Ajaccio, the birthplace of Napoleon and the capital of Corsica.

It feels fitting that this final Corsican adventure has been full of surprises, beautiful places and memorable experiences. Soon we'll begin making our way back towards mainland France, and before long Novera will be lifted out for her winter rest.

But for now, there is still a little more of Corsica waiting to be explored.

And we're not quite ready for the adventure to end.