We finally arrived on the small Sardinian island of La Maddalena on Saturday evening, only to leave again less than 12 hours later! My dad picked us up from the airport in Olbia, and we discussed over dinner some of the possible activities in store for us during the next week. To our surprise, he mentioned that we could take a day trip to Corsica. Having never been to the large French island, we jumped at the opportunity, even if it meant an early start to our day right after our long international journey to get here.
The first step in our adventure to France involved a short return ferry from La Maddalena to Palau, Sardinia on Sunday morning.
Then, we drove over to Santa Teresa Gallura, a small town on the northern coast of Sardinia. Its tourist port connects the island with nearby Corsica via the Santa Teresa – Bonifacio ferry routes.
While waiting for our ferry to board, we walked around the port area looking at the various boats docked there (reviving talk of Kurt’s grand retirement plan of living on a boat in the Med).
We hopped aboard the 10:20am ferry for the 45-50 minute journey to Bonifacio in southern Corsica. Our timing for the day was subject to the ferry schedules, so it made for a long (and hot) day, especially due to our jet lag on the first day.
The islands of Corsica and Sardinia are separated by the narrow Strait of Bonifacio. The inlet to the protected harbor of Bonifacio is marked by the steep white cliffs of Pointe de la Madonetta on one side, with a red lighthouse tower on its top, and the similarly steep white cliffs of Pointe du Timon, which has a large cave, on the other side. This commercial, fishing, and yachting harbor is quite spectacular, as the narrow, deep inlet with high, almost vertical slopes of white rock crowned by a medieval walled town and citadel is certainly unique.
After disembarking, we ascended the road to the upper town then walked to the fortifications located at the Pointe du Timon where we saw the remnants of massive cannon emplacements, defensive walls, and the Gouvernail watchtower overlooking the entry to the port and the Strait of Bonifacio. The tower was used by Italian and German armies during World War II. A tunnel was dug out by hand and features 168 stairs that led to an air raid shelter, which housed a strong light of 12km range that was used for surveying the straits (all the way to Sardinia) and entry to the port.
After refueling at lunch (with a beautiful view, of course), we opted to descend to the water via L’Escalier du Roy d’Aragon (the King of Aragon’s Stairway), 189 steep steps built into the side of the limestone cliff. Once we made it to the bottom of the stairs, we were able to walk along a covered path carved into the cliff just a few meters above the sea. Kurt learned why helmets were required for this adventure with the low-hanging roof that was appropriate for the king, albeit a short one evidently (closed and flat shoes were also mandatory).
The climb back up the stairs to the top got us (okay, me) sweating again, so we were excited to find my dad waiting for us right in front of a sorbet shop. Temporarily cooled off by the delicious afternoon treat, we then left the streets of the Haute Ville di Bonifacio and descended to the harbor area, which was lined with restaurants and bars (making it quite easy to simply hop off your private yacht and stroll the street for food, drinks, and fun).
Then, it was time for us to head to the ferry dock for our departure back to Sardinia at 5pm. We simply retraced our steps from this morning to return to La Maddalena in the evening.
Eager to get back to the house and relax after a long day, I inquired about grabbing something quick to eat for dinner once we got back on the island. My dad laughed at my request, advising that it’s not typical of Italian restaurants to offer grab and go type service. But, thankfully, we found a place just off the main street that had doner kebabs to take away (my go-to food when we are traveling in foreign countries).
What a great (and, unexpected) way to spend our first day here!