Ferries from Genoa to Bastia

Located at the base of Cap Corse, Bastia is the administrative centre of Corsica.

The city is surrounded by nature, with green mountains, beautiful beaches, and a crystal clear sea that make it a very popular holiday destination especially during the summer.

Bastia was founded (and fortified) by the Genoeses in 1380 and it has been the administrative centre of Corsica until 1811, when Napoleon replaced it with Ajaccio.

For a long time, Italy and France fought over both the city and the island, until after the end of World War II, Corsica definitively became part of the French territory.

Main centre of the city is the 19^th-century square Place St-Nicolas, with a Napoleon statue at its centre. The squared is full of cafes and restaurants and is the starting point of the promenade.

Boulevard Paoli, main street of the city, is another interesting part of the city, characterized by many elegant Tuscan buildings. Among the places to visit in Bastia there’s the Old City, where fishermen used to live and where the S. Giovanni Battista’s cathedral, the Immaculee Conception and St-Roch’s chapels can be found (all of them built in the 16^th century); the chapels overlook the Place de l’Hotel de Ville, where the daily market is held. Worth seeing is the Citadel, a 14^th-century Genoese fort located on a rocky spur next to the old port. Within the Citadel there are a 15^th-century church (Ste-Marie), a 16^th-century chapel (Ste Croix) and two museums.