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Bonifacio
Below the silhouette of Bonifacios imposing 16th-century fortress, rows of charming pastel-washed houses, replete with crumbling Italianate facades and wrought iron balconies, surround the towns attractive yacht-filled marina.
Bonifacio harbour is formed by a deep fjord packed with yachts and fishing boats tethered to a quay backed by the 18th-century façades of the new town and bright with the canopies of restaurants and cafés. Standing sentinel above, the massive walls of the citadel jut over the cliff, enclosing the landward side of the old town whose medieval houses appear, from the sea, to fall off the end of the island. The lure of the bastion above is irresistible, despite the Epicurean pleasures to be enjoyed on the quayside.The Genoese merchants who stuck tenaciously to their impossible precipice built their outpost to resist siege: the buttresses which span the narrow streets form a system to
collect rainwater and channel it into a reservoir beneath the church of Sainte-Marie-Majeure and, through escutcheoned doorways, steep stairs lead straight up so that defenders fought from the upper floors. Many of these ancient houses have now been turned into boutiques selling antiques, handicrafts or jewellery.Tucked into the walls are restaurants where a three-course meal can still be found for 15 euros or so, or more extravagant ones such as the celebrated Stella dOro.The local flavour has not been lost - children play in the streets and old men and the priest still gather outside the Café Niçois to comment on the days events in a dialect incomprehensible even to other Corsicans.
N
Chera Figari
Pianottoli-Caldarello
Pte di Rondinara
At a glance
Play... golf at the superb course at Sperone, designed by the renowned Robert Trent-Jones Take a boat trip... to the neighbouring island of Sardinia - an hours journey around Bonifacios stunning grottoes and to deserted islands Swim... off the tiny beach at the base of Bonifacios cliffs
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nt
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gne
Golfe de Santa Manza
Pte de Capicciola
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Gurgazo
Capo di Feno
Bonifacio Ille Lavezzi
Bonifacio
Calalonga
Ille Cavallo
BONIFACIO
3 km
© TUI 2006
Climate
Bonifacio Apr 17
Average daily maximum temperature (ºC) May 21 Jun 26 Jul 28 Aug 28 Sept 26 Oct 22
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