Finding Napoleon in Ajaccio

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.

Historic Ajaccio

My love affair with Corsica started at high school. The stories about vendettas and family feuds of the village people who lived high up in the mountains encouraged me to learn French, the pride and passion of the Corsican people for their country, I found intriguing.

Later, I discovered Dorothy Carrington also known as Lady Rose Carrington, the travel writer and historian who arrived in Corsica in 1948, and stayed. Her books, papers and articles on different aspects of life, culture and history of Corsica showed just how much she understood the Corsican way of life, the complex history of the country and above all the Corsican people.

Rose Carrington chose to settle in Ajaccio, the largest town and best known as Napoleon’s birthplace. Although much of the maquis – the evergreen bush that covers Corsica has been cleared, the numerous oak and olive trees, the narrow streets lined with picturesque Mediterranean architecture and the rich history of Ajaccio make it an attractive capital.

What I particularly like though, is a wander through the market place then a leisurely cup of coffee in one of the cafés by the port --  the best place to observe the Ajaccians, especially the older ones and sometimes I’m lucky, I get to hear the latest on the political scene – always a hot subject in Corsica.

September is a good time  to visit Ajaccio; the locals have more time and patience as most of the tourists have gone, the weather is not as stifling as in the summer months but still extremely pleasant and fares are less costly.

The most relaxed way of getting to Ajaccio from mainland France is by boat; the Italian ferry service Corsica Ferries is reliable, clean and comfortable.

It's such a pity though that most people head for Cap Corse or the southern tip Bonifaccio as soon as the ferry hits port; historic Ajaccio certainly deserves a day or two.

My next post will look at Napoleon in Corsica. 

A market stall in Ajaccio

Stay Zen -- C’est La Rentrée

The  rentrée in France is an annual ritual that hits the nation around the end of August and continues until at least mid September.

There’s no real translation for this word, no one word to convey the real significance of the rentrée and you have to live here to truly understand this ritual.

The rentrée is an established French tradition, meaning a return after a period of inactivity, a re-entry if you like. It means that the 2 month holiday break is over so it’s back to school for the kids. But there’s more to this than just the Anglo- Saxon 'back to school' season because it applies to work, politics and life in general.

Few nations have such long summer holidays as the French – four to six weeks or so when everything is closed, kids are on holiday and the population has either gone to be beach, their country homes or the cooler mountain regions.

Not only is there rentrée de classe, rentré  scolaire and  rentré Universitaire for the various teaching establishments but  politicians also herald in a  new political season; this is called  rentrée politique when the  President and his ministers come  back ready to surprise the nation with their new policies.

For many of us, it’s a new beginning, a promise to improve, a time to enroll in new classes, start new activities. And why not?

In Paris, they’re already suffering from the rentrée blues; girlie magazines are running stories on how to de-stress and make sure their readers stick to their rentrée resolutions.

But we in the South are still hanging on; the weather is fabulous, the tourists have gone and with them the long queues at the boulangeries. It’s the vendange season in Provence; a time for sunshine and bringing in the grapes-- one of our busiest times.

No time for rentrée blues here.

                                                    Bonne  rentrée a tout le monde.

Slow travel with Le train des Pignes

We were looking to do something completely different, to beat the heat and a change from the crowed beaches of the busy Côte d’ Azur.

We found the answer – a slow train ride through the mountains to the villages in the foothills of the French Alps, the good old fashion way – steam, of course.

This is a private narrow gauge railway (one meter only) hauled by an authentic steam locomotive and run by volunteers. Pignes is the French word for pines. The story is that they ran out of coal one day and had to resort to pine cones to fuel the engine.

We boarded the locomotive at Puget-Thenier at 10.45,chugged uphill through some spectacular scenery; deep river and valleys all the way up  to our first stop, the fortified village Entrevaux  where the crew shoveled in more coal while the passengers admired the  high fortress in the distance.

The steam whistle blew again calling the passengers back unto the train to our final stop. The scenery after Entrevaux is just as spectacular; the black locomotive pulled the four passenger cars winding its way between trees and rocks before we lumbered into Anot at midday.

A five minute walk from the station lead to the medieval village listed a Village et Cité de Caractere. The town, set at an altitude of 700 meters is surrounded by some stunning large boulders with many houses built against the rocks, called Gres d’Anot. The streets are narrow in the old part of the town; so many little details to admire such as the doors and knockers of the houses, the narrow passages.

Le Train des Pignes is a great way to take in some pure mountain air as long as you quickly shut the windows when you hear the whistle signaling the approaching tunnels.

I had a quick chat with the crew before we left - even though their lovely blue overalls were coal covered  they were already looking forward to next Sunday.

This little train runs every Sunday from May to October;

www.trainsprovence.com

The fortress  in Entrevaux seen from the train