After a day of leisure in and around the Bay of Gioleta, we decided to stay up after dinner and wait until the last ray of light had gone. We wanted to see the comet NEOWISE which made its appearance in the north-westerly skies. We had to wait to 10.45 pm until we discovered it but there it was - clearly visible two hand width above the horizon. Had we missed it we would have to wait for around 6'800 years before it would return!
The Comet NEOWISE which we found thanks to the Starwalk App on our iPhone. The photo is from the internet - an iPhone camera would not catch it - but this is exactly how it looked
Waiting for the Comet to appear - the lights are from the other sailboats in our bay
This morning then, it was time to move to our next destination: Ajaccio, the capital of Corsica. With a good north-westerly wind of 6 knots, we set sails and started our journey south. Within an hour, the mountains receded and their red color turned into a blueish gray, getting lighter the further away they were. Corsica opened up. Broad valleys were spilling into the coastline, large fields became more frequent and the scrubs on the hills were replaced by orchards and proper forests. The country that had attracted the Phoenician explorers and later Roman settlers began to appear.
Departure time again - most people in the bay were still sleeping in their bunk beds
The receding mountains of Corsica - at one point we could see 4 mountain chains
As the countryside became more fertile, we could discover more and more Saracen towers. People living here took their safety seriously and built an elaborate warning system that could alert them early from pirates descending on the island. Each tower is within the line of sight of two other towers. Entire stretches of coast could thus be alerted quickly with smoke during the day and fires during the night.
The Genovese Watch Tower of Parata just where the coast turns east towards Ajaccio
The Corsican capital Ajaccio is built on the ruins of ancient settlements which decayed during the wild Middle Ages when the island frequently changed hand between the Fatimids, the Pisans and Genoa. To better control the south of the island, Genoa decided in 1492 to build a citadel to protect the harbor and a small settlement. With the exception of a short interval from 1553 – 1559 when it was occupied by French and Ottoman troops, the town was always in Genovese hands. Even during the short lived Republic of Corsica, the rebels could not take it.
The Genovese citadel built in 1492 which was later modernised by the French
The house where Napoleon Bonaparte was born in 1769 reminded me of his home in Elba
When Genoa sold the island to France in 1768, the town transitioned easily to French rule. Napoleon was born here a year later in a modest house, something he did not like to be reminded of. Having visited his exile home in Elba just a week ago, I can see some connection. I guess the villa in San Martino on Elba reminded him too much of his native Ajaccio. As we know he had bigger plans for himself but ended in the middle of the Atlantic.
Ajaccio is full of Mulberry trees reminding us of Genoa's failed efforts to build a silk industry in Corsica. Napoleon's dad was in this business and tried to get access to the French market - without success. His son might have become a silk merchant instead of an Emperor!
Ajacco's yacht harbour with many not so well maintained boats - wonder what happened?
Route for the rest of this week