2nd day : Go through the "Desert des Agriates" and reach the Balagna region

...36 kilometres of an unspoiled nature which you can travel through on a road recently refurbished. The coast is accessible only by the sea or by dirt tracks (Saleccia, Malfalcu…).

You regain the sea at the mouth of the Ostriconi.

Not to be missed:

Leave the main road in the direction of the beautiful spot called Ostriconi, a splendid view over a long unspoiled beach, at the foot of the ochre-coloured mountains, bordered with junipers and a river.

As you leave the Ostriconi by a coast road which overhangs the sea you will then come to Ile Rousse, after having passed alongside numerous beaches and creeks.

Founded by Pascal Paoli in 1758, Isola Rossa (Ile Rousse or the Red island) is a pleasant seaside town with a white sandy beach just at the edge of the town.You could visit the ‘Place Paoli’ sheltered by palm trees and one-hundred-year old plane trees, the covered market, the cool narrow streets of the old part of the town and the peninsula of Pietra with its red rocks which give the name to the town.

On the road going to Calvi between the marinas of Davia and Sant’Ambroggio, go and take a look at Algajola which was the second Genoese stronghold after Calvi and whose little citadel and ramparts rise up proudly over the sea.

Set off again in the direction of Calvi, and the road climbs up through olive and oak trees to reach Lumio, a village with a panoramic viewpoint overlooking the Bay of Calvi.

And here is Calvi, a place to see in Balagne.

The town stretches the length of the gulf and the beach, as far as the impressive Genoese citadel which overhangs the sea and the port. The place, as it is said, where Christopher Colombus was born, he who discovered America, it is one of the most valued seaside resorts in the island.

For those of you who love old ruins, a rich heritage awaits you with the narrow streets of the citadel, the rampart walk as far as the Tour du sel. Without forgetting the Oratoire Sant'Antonio, St Jean Baptiste church and virgin of the Rosary which was brought from Peru, lavishly dressed in brocade and silver, a place of worship and also some amazing polyphonic concerts are held here.

Below the city walls,stretches out the town and the port of Calvi, sheltering the superb sailing boats and some really impressive yachts, a nice place to stroll along, lined with terraces under the palm trees, little shady streets which lead to the Saint Marie Majeure church with its pink baroque-style frontage.

Together with its bars, its restaurants and its ice-cream parlours its long beach with full amenities, Calvi will provide you with all the pleasures you need to have a nice holiday. It is also the place where the boat leaves for the nature reserve of Scandola.