Bastia
www.bastia.fr
Situated in the North east of Corsica,
Bastia is the main port of the island and its main
commercial city. The city was first built in 1378 when
Governor Leonello Lomellini from Genoa left the Biguglia
castle to settle in a bastion; “Bastia”. This site
dominated a sailor marina called Porto cardo (current Vieux
Port). Its successors preserved this residence.
A district was born with the installation of citizens from
Genoa and the construction of walls protecting the new
habitat: Terra Nova (the current Citadel).
Old Porto Cardo became then by opposition, Terra Vechhia.
The walls were finished in 1480 and it was necessary to
wait fifty years (1530) to see an end to the construction
of the Governors’ palace.
During XVI and XVII centuries, the upper town followed the
tradition of the cities from Genoa: checkerboard plan and
right streets. Many religious orders were born and a very
intense cultural life developed.
It is in 1768, that the Republic of Genoa yields Corsica to
France. After a short English interlude during the French
revolution, Corsica turns back definitively in the French
bosom in 1795.
At the end of the XVIII century, the city thrives and its
population increases appreciably. During the XIX century,
the city extends towards north and on the heights. The
urban landscape is then in full change: construction of the
law courts, extension of the Place Saint Nicolas,
construction of many middle-class buildings bordering broad
boulevards…
A City of Art and History, Bastia possesses an extremely
rich historical and religious heritage that one discovers
with enchantment.
The Bastian
agglomeration introduces a rich Corsican rural heritage and
its dynamism makes it one of the most beautiful pearls of
Corsica.
