Ajaccio is located on the west coast of the island of Corsica in the Mediterranean Sea. It enjoys a sheltered position at the foot of wooded hills on the northern shore of the Gulf of Ajaccio.
Corsica was under Carthaginian influence and domination until 237 BC, when it was taken over by the Roman Republic. It remained under Rome until its conquest by the Vandals in AD 430, and later in 522 by the Byzantine Empire. With the collapse of Byzantine control, Corsica came under various influences, including Arabs and Lombards, before it finally fell to Genoa in 1282 following the Battle of Meloria against Pisa. Despite take-overs by Aragon between 1296-1434 and France between 1553-1559, Corsica would remain under Genoese control until its purchase by France in 1768.
The present town of Ajaccio was founded in 1492. It began with a castle on Capo di Bolo, around which residences wher constructed for several hundred people. The new city was essentially a colony of Genoa and the native Corsicans were restricted from the city for some years.
The Republic of Genoa was strong enough to keep Corsica until 1755, the year Pasquale Paoli proclaimed the Corsican Republic. Paoli took most of the island for the republic but he was unable to force Genoese troops out of the towns of Saint-Florent, Calvi, Ajaccio, Bastia and Algajola. Leaving them there, he went on build the nation, The Republic of Genoa sold Corsica to France and French troops replaced Genoese ones in the towns. Corsica was annexed to France in 1780.
Napoleon Bonaparte was born at Ajaccio in 1769. The Bonapartes at the time had a modest four-story home in town, now a museum and a rarely used country home in the hills north of the city, which is now site of the Arboretum des Milelli.
The following are worth a visit while in Ajaccio;
Place Bonaparte, a quarter frequented chiefly by winter visitors attracted by the mild climate of the town.
The house in which Napoleon Bonaparte was born in 1769 is preserved, and his associations with the town are everywhere emphasized by street-names and statues.
Ajaccio Cathedral.
The Genoese towers of Torra di Capu di Fenu, Torra di a Parata, and Torra di Castelluchju in the Îles Sanguinaires archipel
The climate of Ajaccio is typically Mediterranean and provides sunny warm and dry summers. In the height of summer, the coast of Corsica sees average temperature of 25°C but it can rise to 35°. The sun shines for an average of 280 days per year, concentrated from April to October, making the Mediterranean summer, the perfect time for a yacht charter in Ajaccio.
The yacht charter season on Corsica runs from April to October. Low season: from October and April is the low season. May, June and September and considered the middle season and the high season is July and August
French is the official language of Corsica but Italian is also spoken widely. The currency on Corsica is the Euro. Electricity is 220V.
Ajaccio is served by the Campo dell'Oro Airport on the east side of the Gulf of Ajaccio.
Ferries go from the Quai L'Herminier on the west side of the gulf for Porto Torres, Marseille, Toulon and Nice.
Detailed reports of Marinas and Harbours in Corsica can be found in our Cruising Guide
