Ajaccio, Corsica, France
Steven Dutch, Professor Emeritus, Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay
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In Ajaccio, it's all about Napoleon, home town boy made good. Napoleon was far from the bloodthirsty lunatic he's sometimes made out to be. His big crime was trying to rewrite the balance of power in Europe in French. However, our history books are written in English. |
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Above: Napoleon in Roman dress.
Below: Equestrian statue of - now let's not always see the same hands - that's right, Napoleon. How did you guess? Surrounded by his four brothers. |
Below: Plaque to Napoleon and his brothers. |
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Below: the beach at Ajaccio. |
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The Citadel
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Corsica as part of France is a pretty recent notion. The island was Genoese in the Middle Ages and was only sold to France in 1755, a mere 14 years before Napoleon was born. It wasn't formally annexed until 1780. The citadel dominates the point south of the town. |
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The Harbor
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Below: Tetrapods are used to protect shorelines from wave action. The arms interlock and prevent the tetrapods from moving. |
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The Cathedral
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The Cathedral was built between 1577 and 1593, and Napoleon was baptized here in 1771. |
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Porticcio to Ajaccio
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Rhythmically bedded marine sediments. |
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About the only flat land for an airport is at the head of the bay. |
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Corsica and Sardinia are detached chunks of the Alps. The mountains around Ajaccio are made largely of granite. |
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Easily the biggest limpet I've ever seen, over 3 inches (8cm) long. |
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Views of Ajaccio
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Created 11 March 2009, Last Update
03 June 2020
