La Piazza Blog & Stories
Ciclismo’s Mediterranean Island Hopping Tour was the Catalyst for our Love Affair with Corsica
Ciclismo’s Mediterranean Island Hopping Tour was the Catalyst for our Love Affair with Corsica
By Jay Jacobson
Originally posted on 1/6/2010: As someone who has traveled to about 100 countries (and cycled in over 50 of them!) I am frequently asked “What is your favorite place to bike?” I am hard pressed to come up with a venue I enjoyed more than Corsica. It epitomizes the Mediterranean region. Although it is now part of France, it represents a fusion of French, Italian and Corsican cultures, history, languages, terrain, cuisine and love of cycling.
Of the 60+ bike tours I have done on six continents, this is the only one I repeated. I was fortunate to have completed this fairly challenging journey in 2002, 2003 and 2009. In 2004 I did a tour of Corsica’s other coast and its interior with another organization and for the past ten years my wife Joan and I enjoyed at least a week on our own on this gorgeous island.
The island hopping itinerary begins in Sardinia which is also an excellent location for cycle touring. When I met my fellow group members there last year, they couldn’t understand why anyone would want to complete a tour three times and spend even more time in this one place. When we arrived at the last stop, the magical town of Calvi, Corsica, they said, “Now we understand!” Incidentally, two hours after the group disbanded that day, I cycled out to the small airport to happily and romantically greet Joan who had just arrived on the 45 minute flight from Nice.
The route follows the island’s Western Coast. As Ciclismo’s catalog indicates, there are continual “vibrant seascapes” consisting of “calanques” and “corniches”. We cycle along the tops or sides of limestone/granite cliffs around exquisite Mediterranean fjords. We are never far from a stunning beach or pool. It is easy to understand why it is called l’Ile de Beaute.
Over the years I had small tastes of “sauvage” (wild) Corsica: 1. My rental bike was once stolen. 2. I had a brush with a tough guy. 3. I was accompanied on a descent by a herd of downhill-running boar. 4. We cycled along tangles of “maquis” (thick brush vegetation in the interior) 5. We climbed up mountains (some of which were snow capped in summer) on our bikes to ancient untouched villages with encounters with their somewhat primitive inhabitants.
The weather on our trips has been extraordinary. During our 100 or so lovely days there (always between June 1 and September 30) it rained for a total of about a half hour and was never extremely hot. Adding to the foreign and a bit exotic flavor is the fact that there are few American visitors to the island. On some of our trips we didn’t meet a single American. It is not as expensive as other European locations such as the Italian and French Rivieras, Paris, Rome, etc., especially during June and September when it is not crowded.
A typical (and ideal!) day on the CC tour would entail 40-60 miles cycling on varied terrain—not many long flat stretches, (but not constant Alpine-like climbing either!) with plenty of splendid photo ops. By mid afternoon I was ready for a relaxing and refreshing dip in the pool or the Mediterranean. The day would be capped by an al fresco dinner overlooking the town’s yacht harbor while watching the passing parade of residents and visitors. The eating and drinking was all about fresh seafood, Corsican specialties and local (good and inexpensive) wines.
I hope you can now see how this little corner of the world has become an important annual part of our lives.
Mediterranean Island Hopping
Our Travel Consultant Lauren Lasky has recently done this tour.
Call or email [email protected] to speak with her.
Call Me! 800-866-7314
Update 10/15/15: Jay has been on 13 Ciclismo tours, 4 of which were Mediterranean Island Hopping.
Originally posted on 1/6/2010: As someone who has traveled to about 100 countries (and cycled in over 50 of them!) I am frequently asked “What is your favorite place to bike?” I am hard pressed to come up with a venue I enjoyed more than Corsica. It epitomizes the Mediterranean region. Although it is now part of France, it represents a fusion of French, Italian and Corsican cultures, history, languages, terrain, cuisine and love of cycling.
Of the 60+ bike tours I have done on six continents, this is the only one I repeated. I was fortunate to have completed this fairly challenging journey in 2002, 2003 and 2009. In 2004 I did a tour of Corsica’s other coast and its interior with another organization and for the past ten years my wife Joan and I enjoyed at least a week on our own on this gorgeous island.
The island hopping itinerary begins in Sardinia which is also an excellent location for cycle touring. When I met my fellow group members there last year, they couldn’t understand why anyone would want to complete a tour three times and spend even more time in this one place. When we arrived at the last stop, the magical town of Calvi, Corsica, they said, “Now we understand!” Incidentally, two hours after the group disbanded that day, I cycled out to the small airport to happily and romantically greet Joan who had just arrived on the 45 minute flight from Nice.
The route follows the island’s Western Coast. As Ciclismo’s catalog indicates, there are continual “vibrant seascapes” consisting of “calanques” and “corniches”. We cycle along the tops or sides of limestone/granite cliffs around exquisite Mediterranean fjords. We are never far from a stunning beach or pool. It is easy to understand why it is called l’Ile de Beaute.
Over the years I had small tastes of “sauvage” (wild) Corsica: 1. My rental bike was once stolen. 2. I had a brush with a tough guy. 3. I was accompanied on a descent by a herd of downhill-running boar. 4. We cycled along tangles of “maquis” (thick brush vegetation in the interior) 5. We climbed up mountains (some of which were snow capped in summer) on our bikes to ancient untouched villages with encounters with their somewhat primitive inhabitants.
The weather on our trips has been extraordinary. During our 100 or so lovely days there (always between June 1 and September 30) it rained for a total of about a half hour and was never extremely hot. Adding to the foreign and a bit exotic flavor is the fact that there are few American visitors to the island. On some of our trips we didn’t meet a single American. It is not as expensive as other European locations such as the Italian and French Rivieras, Paris, Rome, etc., especially during June and September when it is not crowded.
A typical (and ideal!) day on the CC tour would entail 40-60 miles cycling on varied terrain—not many long flat stretches, (but not constant Alpine-like climbing either!) with plenty of splendid photo ops. By mid afternoon I was ready for a relaxing and refreshing dip in the pool or the Mediterranean. The day would be capped by an al fresco dinner overlooking the town’s yacht harbor while watching the passing parade of residents and visitors. The eating and drinking was all about fresh seafood, Corsican specialties and local (good and inexpensive) wines.
I hope you can now see how this little corner of the world has become an important annual part of our lives.
Mediterranean Island Hopping
Our Travel Consultant Lauren Lasky has recently done this tour.
Call or email [email protected] to speak with her.
Call Me! 800-866-7314
Update 10/15/15: Jay has been on 13 Ciclismo tours, 4 of which were Mediterranean Island Hopping.
