Bonifacio to Bastia
103 miles; diligence to Ghisonaccia, 50 m. N., the rest by rail.
BONIFACIO
BASTIA
103 BONIFACIO. The diligence, after passing the Col Finocchio, 354 feet, 2½ miles N. from Bonifacio, the Maison Francola, 7 miles, the bridge across the Stabiacco, 16 miles, and the Col Mattonara, 17½ miles (whence the Route Forestière, No. 11, ascends 14 miles west into the forest of the Ospedale), arrives in 3 hours at Porto-Vecchio.
BONIFACIO
BASTIA
27 76 PORTO-VECCHIO, pop. 2740. Hôtel Amis. Surrounded by its old walls, and at the head of a beautiful gulf. The surrounding country is fertile, but unhealthy during the hot weather, on account of the miasma rising from the morasses and lagoons. To the N. of Porto, the mountains still approach near to the sea; but beyond Solenzara (where the diligence halts) 41½ miles from Bonifacio, they recede and leave free those great undulating plains which characterise the eastern coast of Corsica—plains almost uninhabited and covered with heaths. From the north side of the Travo commences a series of large lakes swarming with fish and a kind of cockle. They are separated from the sea by long narrow sandbanks, like earthen break-waters. The malaria prevails from June to October, but even then only the night should be avoided in travelling along this coast. The road after passing by the hamlet of Favona, 33 m., arrives at Solenzara.
BONIFACIO
BASTIA
45 58 SOLENZARA. Whence a wheel road extends westwards into the forest of Bavella by the Col Bavella 18½ m. S.W., and the Col Scalella, 22 m., 2982 ft. to Zonza, 24½ m. from Solenzara; 4 m. farther is the village of S. Gavino di Carbini, 2292 ft., and other 2½ m. the village of Levie; 30 m. S.W. from Solenzara, and 10½ from Propriano is S. Lucia de Tallano, on the highroad to Aullene (see p. 27), and for continuation of this road to Propriano see p. 26.
The road to Bastia, after passing the Travo, 44 m., Vicchiseri, 46 m., and Casamozza, 48½ m., arrives at the railway station of Ghisonaccia.
BONIFACIO
BASTIA
53 50 GHISONACCIA pop. 850. On the Fium Orbo, 36 m. S.E. from Corté. From this a department road of 4½ m. leads to the hot sulphurous baths of Pietrapola, with a large hotel in a healthy situation.
From Ghisonaccia a carriage road extends N.W. to the villages of Poggio-di-Nazza, 9½ m., and Lugo-di-Nazza, 11½ m. From Ghisonaccia railway station a forest road extends 18 m. N.W. to Ghisoni, where it joins the high road between Sartène and Vivario (p. 29). The southern prolongation of this road leads to Zicavo, Petreto, Bicchisano, and Portopollo, on the Gulf of Valinco.
Forty-six m. from Bastia is Casabianda. H. Perett; a village situated on a well-cultivated estate belonging to the government; formerly used as an agricultural penitentiary for juvenile criminals. In the hot season it is safer to pass the night at Casabianda than at Aleria.
BONIFACIO
BASTIA
58¼ 44¾ ALERIA. Inn. The capital of Corsica till the invasion of the Saracens in the 4th cent., now a poor village with an old Genoese fort, situated at the mouth of the Tavignano, 1¼ m. from the Etang de Diane. Ancient Aleria, the colony founded by the dictator Sulla about 82 B.C., occupied both banks of the Tavignano, which waters one of the finest plains in the world, where winter is unknown. The site of the town was well selected. The population was probably 20,000.
It was at Aleria that Theodore Neuhoff, a native of Altona, in Germany, landed to have himself proclaimed King of Corsica, March 1736. He died a pauper in London, and was buried in an obscure corner of St. Anne’s churchyard, Soho. On a mural tablet against the exterior wall, west end, is the following epitaph written by Horace Walpole:—“Near this place is interred Theodore, King of Corsica, who died in this parish, Dec. 11, 1756, immediately after leaving the King’s Bench prison, by the benefit of the Act of Insolvency. In consequence of which, he registered his kingdom of Corsica for the use of his creditors.” His capital was Cervione. The lake de Diane is a great sheet of salt water with one narrow opening to the sea. It formed the harbour of Aleria, and was provided with quays, of which a vestige still remains. The lake contains an island 460 yards in circumference, composed of oyster shells covered with luxurious vegetation. Fish, and a cockle a species of Venerupis, inhabit the brackish water of the lake.