L'Île-Rousse

The island of Corsica is one of the 18 regions of France. It was colonized the Carthaginians, the Greeks, the Etruscans and the Romans. After the Roman empire collapsed, Corsica got invaded by the Vandals and the Ostrogoths. For a short while the island belonged to the Byzantine Empire, then the Franks granted the island to the Pope, in the early 11th century Pisa and Genoa together freed the island from the threat of Arab invasion. The island came under the influence of the Republic of Pisa, later it belonged to Genua for centuries. In 1755 after a long fight for independence from Genoa the independent Corsican Republic was proclaimed, but in 1769, when the island was conquered by France. As the areas near the coast over centuries have been threatened by attacks and raids of pirates many old hamlets and dwellings are wide inland, high in the mountains.


During the time of the short living Corsican Republic the small fishing village was enlarged and became a trading port with city fortifications on order of Pascal Paoli in 1759. So the Republic had a Corsican port opposite the then Genoese Calvi. At that time the town was still named "Isola Rossa", as the official language upto 1848 was Italian. A large ferry has reached the harbour.