TO VISIT TO BONIFACIO

The geographical position of Bonifacio, the more city to South of the island, has contributed to do of it, according to Paul Valéry, her "picturesque capital of Corsica." To draw near to Bonifacio crossing the road from Sartene or from I Bring Old it allows of veder to appear this medieval city as it was a place " in head to the world ", isolated by the rest of the island by an ample and arid calcareous pianoro. This leans out on the sea with stupendous white bluffs, tall more than 60 ms, beaten by the wind and by the waves, often very tall, of the Mouths of Bonifacio, one narrow that separates Corsica from Sardinia, wide 12 kms and disseminated of islets. The old city, around which the fortifications are risen, perched on a narrow promontory that is parallelly stretched to the shore from which it is separate from a kind of fiord along 1.500 ms, after all to which a harbor opens. II I bring, sure shelter for the military ships, is once today a landing for the recreation boats. From the sea, the old houses gathered to the extremity of a bluff, to whose feet the waves break him, they still confer to the tall city an aspect more drug.

The Marina - (visit: 3/4 of now)
And' the district of the I bring, extended on the South bench and dominated from the imposing bastion that, once it checked the access to the citadel. In the summer, the hotels, the restaurants, the coffees and the shops for tourists of this zone of the city are animate from an incessant activity that continues up to late night. On the shore North, that offer a series of wharfs for the recreation boats, lean out modern buildings of 4 or 5 floors, some to arcades or endowed with swimming pool, with their disegualis pink roofs; this is the district of Giovasole. II patron of the district of the harbor is Sant'Erasmo, protecting of the sailors. Every year, brotherhood organizes two processions: on June 2 to celebrate the patron and on June 20, day of St. Silverio, pope and martyr of the You sec., protecting of the fishermen of lobsters.

The Aquarius
And' composed of thirteen tubs, installed in a cave, that you/they allow to make knowledge with the sea fauna of Corsica: striped crabs of red and blue, labridi from the changing colors, murene, lobsters. According to the period, it is possible to see eggs of gattucci (small sharks), attached to the sprigs.

Hill St. Rocco
To the left in the church of Sant'Erasmo, it begins a paved stairway that conducts to the hill on which a small chapel rises, built where the last victim of the 1528 great plague died. From this natural belvedere the sight spaces on the open sea, embracing even the coasts of Sardinia, the tall calcareous bluffs with layers carved by the sea, the bastion and the harbor. To the left, the "sand's Grain", great corroded calcareous block to the base from the waves, raises its family outline in front of the bluff. From the hill, through a stairway, he reaches the spiaggetta of Sucked Fortress.

The tall city - (visit: 2 hours)
He/she includes the old city, from the medieval atmosphere, the citadel and the West extremity of the pianoro, with the sea cemetery and the open space of St. Francis. The pedestrians can reach the tall city through the slopes of Rastello and San Rocco, a long ramp with steps that it leads on the door in Genoa. The motorists have to take the Road N 198 instead. This road, built by Napoleone III, it turns around the bastion of the Standard, that dominates the mouth of Bonifacio; he leaves to the height of the Roman (discovered on the island of St. Bainzo) Column, become monument to the Fallen ones, for then to follow the road of access to the place of embarkation. The slope on the left allows to enter the old city crossing a gallery dug in 1984 in the strong one of St. Nicola; it goes out for the Door of France (1854), to which is entered following the rue Fred-Scamaroni, the only street planted with trees of Bonifacio.

Monument to the Foreign Legion
Once it was found in a plaza of Saida, a bordering town with the highlands Algerian, where erect had been in memory of the fallen Legionaries to South of Orano among 1897 and 1902. June 23 rd 1963 was inaugurated, gives of arrival to Bonifacio of the Foreign Legion, replaced then by a barracks of parachutists (CEC). From this plaza, the place Bir-Hakeim, that dominates the canyon of Carotola encircled by boundaries, the sight embraces, beyond the mouth, the pianoro of Hair, busy, in 1420, from the Aragonese ones with their bombards.

Church of St. Domenico (Église St-Dominique)
This sanctuary, erect beginning from 1270 from the Dominicans where previously a church of Templari rose and probably finished in 1343, it represents, together with the church of St. Francis, one of the few Gothic buildings of Corsica. An adjoining convent entertained the religious, remained in the church up to 1789. The external architecture is very simple, as it shows the sober workmanship of the stone on the western façade. The bell tower is enough unusual instead: introduces, in fact, superior plans of octagonal form as well as a crowning composed of saettiere and blackbirds to double point. To the inside, the plant is simple, of rectangular form with flat apse. The principal aisle, flanked by side aisles, it is at times, with six ogival cruises. Of notable interest the greatest altar: with marmoreal inlays coming from the near church of St. Francis, the antependium in bas-relief represents san Francis in the action to receive the stimmates. To notice the four wooden statues that you/they decorate the altar: two angels in adoration, St. Domenico and Saint Caterina from Siena. Among the rich statuary expressionist, they detach the group of the Three Maries, to the feet of the Cross, that you/he/she is brought in procession on Fridays Saint, the Martyrdom of St. Bartholomew, conducted in procession on August 24, and finally the Madonna with his/her/their Child, in white marble, situated in a niche in the aisle side South. II pulpit, in graven wood, it is a work of great merit realized by local artists.