I used to say airily that Ajaccio was just another capital
and would head off either to the north or south of the island every time I visited Corsica. This visit however, I had a plan - to find Napoleon in Ajaccio. He was
after all one of the first emperors of France, a military general who revolutionized
military history and this was his place of birth.
Corsicans are proud of their famous son; dedicating historic monuments,
the names of streets, his birth house opened up as a museum. Even the main airport
in Corsica called Aéroport d'Ajaccio Napoléon Bonaparte evokes memories of the idealist whose coming to power ended an old regime in
France.
The great man was born August 15 1769 in Maison Bonaparte
not far from Ajaccio’s cathedral dedicated to the Virgin Mary; it is said that
his mother started labour pains while attending mass. Letizia named her second
child after an uncle who had died only a few months before fighting for
independence against the French.
Napoleon spent the first years of his life in this large
house in one of the city’s narrow street before setting off to mainland France
when he was nine for schooling.
Not much remains today in this
residence classed as a historic monument as unfortunately the house was pillaged when the Bonaparte family
had to leave in a hurry because of the political situation - only a couple of saloons, some marble busts
and a few paintings are left.
To
Napoleon 1 and his brothers, Corsica remembers you with
gratitude; translated, this is what the commemorative plaque inscription on a
fine grandiose monument in the Place de Gaulle says. It shows Napoleon on
horseback dressed in Roman costume surrounded by standing statues of his
brothers. The view of the gulf of Ajaccio from this square on a fine day is
truly stunning,
In the old town, near the market
square, Place Foch is a magnificent statue of the Napoleon surrounded by four
lions. This impressive statue shows Napoleon draped in a Roman toga.
Then there is the monumental
assembly at the Place d’ Austerlitz inaugurated in August 1938.
Here is an inclined stone plane
leading to a pedestal on which stands a statue of Napoleon watching over the
city. At the base of the pyramid are two eagles bearing the dates of the birth
and death of the emperor.
What many visitors don't know though is that to the left of the statue are a few large rocks
forming a cave. Surrounded by olive trees, legend has it that as a boy Napoleon
would escape here and hide in what the Ajaccians now call the Grotte de Napoleon.
Although this might be a legend you can well imagine young Napoleon escaping
here - to his dreaming place - far from the other seven siblings – a young boy planning his future.
He might have been small in stature
but the little man certainly changed the face of Europe.
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