Ajaccio
Encyclopedia
Ajaccio is a commune
on the island of Corsica
in France. It is the capital and largest city of the region of Corsica
and the prefecture of the department of Corse-du-Sud
.
The geopolitical arrangements of the commune are slightly different from those typical of Corsica and France. Usually an arrondissement includes cantons and a canton includes one to several communes including the chef-lieu, "chief place", from which the canton takes its name. The city of Ajaccio is one commune, but it contains six cantons, Cantons 1–6, and a fraction of Canton 7. The latter contains five other communes: Bastelicaccia
, Alata, Afa
, Appietto
and Villanova
, making a total of six communes for the seven cantons of Ajaccio.
Each canton contains a certain number of quartiers, "quarters". Cantons 1, 2, 3, 6, 7 are located along the Gulf of Ajaccio from west to east, while 4 and 5 are a little further up the valleys of the Gravona and the Prunelli Rivers. These political divisions subdivide the population of Ajaccio into units that can be more democratically served but they do not give a true picture of the size of Ajaccio. In general language, "greater Ajaccio" includes about 100,000 people with all the medical, educational, utility and transportational facilities of a big city. Up until World War II it was still possible to regard the city as being a settlement of narrow streets localized to some part of the harbor or the Gulf of Ajaccio; such bucolic descriptions do not fit the city of today, and travellogues intended for mountain or coastal recreational areas do not generally apply to Corsica's few big cities.
The arrondissement contains other cantons that extend generally up the two rivers into central Corsica.
. It occupies a sheltered position at the foot of wooded hills on the northern shore of the Gulf of Ajaccio. The harbour lies to the east of the foundation site at the original citadel on a hill overlooking a peninsula protecting the harbor on the south, where now are located the Quai de la Citadelle and the Jettée de la Citadelle. The modern city not only encloses the entire harbor but takes up the better part of the Gulf of Ajaccio and in suburban form extends for some miles up the valley of the Gravona River
. The flow from that river is nearly entirely consumed as the city's water supply.
and Adjacium without bishops. There is no earlier use of the term and Adjacium is not an attested Latin word, which probably means that it is a Latinization of a word in some other language. The Ravenna Cosmography
of about 700 CE cites Agiation, which sometimes is taken as evidence of a prior Greek city, as -ion appears to be a Greek ending. But, there is no evidence whatever of a Greek presence on the west coast and the Ionians
at Aleria
on the east coast had been expelled by the Etruscans long before Roman domination. The original name remains unknown, perhaps never will be known and therefore is likely to have been aboriginal.
Ptolemy
, who must come the closest to representing indigenous names, lists the Lochra River just south of a feature he calls the "sandy shore" on the southwest coast. If the shore is the Campo dell'Oro (gold because of the sand?) the Lochra would seem to be the combined mouth of the Gravona and Prunelli Rivers, neither one of which sounds like Lochra.
North of there is a Roman city, Ourchinion. His western coastline is so distorted, however, that it is impossible to say where Adjacium was; certainly, he would have known its name and location if he had had any first-hand knowledge of the island and if in fact it was there. Ptolemy's Ourchinion is further north than Ajaccio and does not have the same name. It could be Sogone. The lack of correspondence between Ptolemaic and historical names known to be ancient has no defense except in the case of the two Roman colonies, Aleria and Mariana. In any case the population of the region must belong to Ptolemy's Tarabeni or Titiani people, neither of which are ever heard about again.
In the 20th century the hill was covered over with buildings and became a part of downtown Ajaccio. In 2005 construction plans for a lot on the hill offered the opportunity to the Institut national de recherches archéologiques preventatives (Inrap) to excavate. They found the baptistry of the 6th century cathedral and large amounts of pottery dated to the 6th and 7th centuries AD; in other words, the early Christian town. A cemetery had been placed over the old church. In it was a single Roman grave covered over with roof tiles bearing short indecipherable inscriptions. The finds of the previous century had included Roman coins. This is the only evidence so far of a Roman city continuous with the early Christian one.
, which dispatched Cristoforo of Gandini, an architect, to build it. He began with a castle on Capo di Bolo, around which he constructed residences for several hundred people. The new city was essentially a colony of Genoa. The Corsicans were restricted from the city for some years, even though they had requested the services of the bank as peace-keeper and problem-solver.
was strong enough to keep Corsica until 1755, the year Pasquale Paoli
proclaimed the Corsican Republic
. Paoli took most of the island for the republic but he was unable to force Genoese troops out of the citadels of Saint-Florent
, Calvi, Ajaccio, Bastia
and Algajola
. Leaving them there, he went on build the nation, while the Republic of Genoa was left to ponder prospects and solutions. Their ultimate solution was to sell Corsica to France and French troops of the ancien régime replaced Genoese ones in the citadels, including Ajaccio's. Corsica was annexed to France in 1780.
, 1769. The Bonapartes at the time had a modest four-story home in town (now a museum known as Casa Buonaparte
) and a rarely used country home in the hills north of the city (now site of the Arboretum des Milelli
). The father of the family, attorney Charles-Marie Buonaparte, was secretary to Pasquali Paoli during the golden years of the republic.
After the defeat of Paoli the Comte de Marbeuf began to meet with some leading Corsicans to outline the shape of the future and enlist their assistance. Charles was among a delegation from Ajaccio in 1769, offered his loyalty and was appointed assessor.
Marbeuf also offered Charles-Marie one appointment for one of his sons to the Military College of Brienne
, but the child must be under 10. There is a dispute concerning Napoleon's age because of this requirement; the emperor is known to have altered the civic records at Ajaccio concerning himself and it is possible that he was born in Corte
in 1768 when his father was there on business. In any case Napoleon went to Brienne 1779–1784.
At Brienne Napoleon concentrated on studies. He wrote a boyish history of Corsica. He did not share his father's views but held Pasquale Paoli in high esteem and was at heart a Corsican nationalist. The top students were encouraged to go into the artillery. After graduation and a brief sojourn at the Military School of Paris Napoleon applied for second-lieutenancy in the artillery regiment of La Fère at Valence and after a time was given the position. Meanwhile his father died and his mother was cast into poverty in Corsica, still having four children to support. Her only income was Napoleon's meagre salary.
The regiment was in Auxonne
when the revolution broke out in the summer of 1789. Napoleon returned on leave to Ajaccio in October, became a Jacobin
and began to work for the revolution. The National Assembly in Paris united Corsica to France and pardoned its exiles. Paoli returning in 1790 after 21 years kissed the soil on which he stood. He and Napoleon met and toured the battlefield of Paoli's defeat. A national assembly at Orezza created the department of Corsica and Paoli was subsequently elected president. He commanded the national guard raised by Napoleon. After a brief return to his regiment Napoleon was promoted to First Lieutenant and came home again on leave in 1791. The death of a rich uncle relieved the family's poverty.
All officers were recalled from leave in 1792, intervention threatened and war with Austria (Marie-Antoinette's homeland) began. Napoleon returned to Paris for review, was exonerated, promoted to Captain and given leave to escort his sister, a schoolgirl, back to Corsica at state expense. His family was prospering; the estate increased.
Napoleon became a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Corsican National Guard. Paoli sent him off on an expedition to Sardinia
ordered by France under Paolis's nephew, but the nephew had secret orders from Paoli to make sure the expedition failed. The leader was now a conservative, had opposed the execution of the king and supported alliance with England. Returning from Sardinia Napoleon with his family and all his supporters were instrumental in getting Paoli denounced at the National Convention in Paris in 1793. Napoleon earned the hatred of the Paolists by pretending to support Paoli and then turning against him (payment, one supposes, for Sardinia).
Paoli was convicted in absentia, a warrant was sent for his arrest (which could not be served) and Napoleon was dispatched to Corsica as Inspector-general of Artillery to take the citadel of Ajaccio from the royalists, who had held it since 1789. The Paolists combining with the royalists defeated the French in two pitched battles and Napoleon and his family went on the run, hiding by day, while the Paolists burned their estate. Napoleon and his mother, Laetitia, were taken out by ship in June 1793, by friends while two of the girls found refuge with other friends. They landed in Toulon
with only Napoleon's pay for their support.
The Bonapartes moved to Marseille
but in August Toulon offered itself to the British and received the protection of a fleet under Admiral Hood
. The Siege of Toulon
began in September under revolutionary officers mainly untrained in the art of war. Napoleon happened to present socially one evening and during a casual conversation over a misplaced 24-pounder explained the value of artillery. Taken seriously he was allowed to bring up over 100 guns from coastal emplacements but his plan for the taking of Toulon was set aside as one incompetent officer superseded another. By December they decided to try his plan and made him a Colonel. Placing the guns at close range he used them to keep off the British fleet while he battered down the walls of Toulon. As soon as the Committee of Public Safety
heard of the victory Napoleon became a Brigadier General, the start of his meteoric rise to power.
The Bonapartes were back in Ajaccio in 1797 under the protection of general Napoleon. Shortly after Napoleon became First Consul and then emperor, using the office to spread the revolution throughout Europe. In 1811 he made Ajaccio the capital of the new Department of Corsica. Despite his subsequent defeat by the Prussians, Russians and British allies, exile and death, no victorious power has reversed that decision or tried to remove Corsica from France. Among the natives, though Corsican nationalism is strong, and feeling often runs high in favor of a union with Italy
, loyalty to France, as evidenced by elections, remains stronger.
, and similar products, and carries on shipbuilding
, sardine
-fishing and coral
-fishing. Its exports include timber, citrons, skins, chestnuts and gallic acid.
The port is accessible by the largest ships, but its accommodation is indifferent. In 1904 there entered 603 vessels with a tonnage of 202,980, and cleared 608 vessels with a tonnage of 202,502.
The airline CCM Airlines
has its head office on the grounds of Ajaccio – Campo dell'Oro Airport (Napoleon Bonaparte Airport).
, and continental French people also contributed to the increase.
on the east side of the Gulf of Ajaccio just north of the mouth of the Gravona River
. From there Route N193 readily connects to the center of the city. Ferries also leave regularly from Quai L'Herminier on the west side of the gulf for Porto Torres
, Marseille
, Toulon
and Nice
. A major road, Route N194, travels up the valley of the Gravona River leading to Corte
and is paralleled by a scenic narrow-gauge railway. Another major road, Route N196, winds southeast to Bonifacio.
A 300 place carpark is planned at Mezzana in the nearby commune of Sarrola Carcopino to encourage combined car-bus use.
The introduction of a tramway or tram-train
has also been proposed between Mezzana station in the outer suburbs and the main train station. The use of ferries is also being considered.
, owned by Chemins de fer de Corse (Corsica Railways), is located near the port and connects Corte
, Bastia
and Calvi (with transfer).
There are two optional stops:
, Alata, Appietto
, Cuttoli Corticchiato, Peri
, Sarrola Carcopino, Tavaco
, Valle di Mezzana and Villanova
.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
on the island of Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
in France. It is the capital and largest city of the region of Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
and the prefecture of the department of Corse-du-Sud
Corse-du-Sud
Corse-du-Sud is a French département composed of the southern part of the island of Corsica.- History :The department was formed on 15 September 1975, when the Corse department was divided into Haute-Corse and Corse-du-Sud...
.
The geopolitical arrangements of the commune are slightly different from those typical of Corsica and France. Usually an arrondissement includes cantons and a canton includes one to several communes including the chef-lieu, "chief place", from which the canton takes its name. The city of Ajaccio is one commune, but it contains six cantons, Cantons 1–6, and a fraction of Canton 7. The latter contains five other communes: Bastelicaccia
Bastelicaccia
Bastelicaccia is a commune in the Corse-du-Sud department of France on the island of Corsica.It shares the canton of Ajaccio-7 with part of Ajaccio commune, Alata, Afa, Appietto, and Villanova.-Geography:...
, Alata, Afa
Afa, Corse-du-Sud
Afa is a commune in the Corse-du-Sud department of France on the island of Corsica.-Population:-References:*...
, Appietto
Appietto
Appietto is a commune in the Corse-du-Sud department of France on the island of Corsica.-Geography:Appietto is located 17 km from Ajaccio, and stretches from the Gozzi mount to the coastline of the Gulf of Lava...
and Villanova
Villanova, Corse-du-Sud
Villanova is a commune in the Corse-du-Sud department of France on the island of Corsica.-Population:-References:*...
, making a total of six communes for the seven cantons of Ajaccio.
Each canton contains a certain number of quartiers, "quarters". Cantons 1, 2, 3, 6, 7 are located along the Gulf of Ajaccio from west to east, while 4 and 5 are a little further up the valleys of the Gravona and the Prunelli Rivers. These political divisions subdivide the population of Ajaccio into units that can be more democratically served but they do not give a true picture of the size of Ajaccio. In general language, "greater Ajaccio" includes about 100,000 people with all the medical, educational, utility and transportational facilities of a big city. Up until World War II it was still possible to regard the city as being a settlement of narrow streets localized to some part of the harbor or the Gulf of Ajaccio; such bucolic descriptions do not fit the city of today, and travellogues intended for mountain or coastal recreational areas do not generally apply to Corsica's few big cities.
The arrondissement contains other cantons that extend generally up the two rivers into central Corsica.
Geography
Ajaccio is located on the west coast of the island of Corsica, 210 nautical miles (388.9 km) southeast of MarseilleMarseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
. It occupies a sheltered position at the foot of wooded hills on the northern shore of the Gulf of Ajaccio. The harbour lies to the east of the foundation site at the original citadel on a hill overlooking a peninsula protecting the harbor on the south, where now are located the Quai de la Citadelle and the Jettée de la Citadelle. The modern city not only encloses the entire harbor but takes up the better part of the Gulf of Ajaccio and in suburban form extends for some miles up the valley of the Gravona River
Gravona River
The Gravona is a river on the island of Corsica, France. It flows from the center of the island southwest to the Gulf of Ajaccio. Its entire course is in the Corse-du-Sud Department of France. The Gravona Valley conducts the main highway, Route N193, from the capital city, Ajaccio, to the Col de...
. The flow from that river is nearly entirely consumed as the city's water supply.
Earliest literary evidence
The earliest record of a settlement at Ajaccio having a name ancestral to its name is the exhortation in Epistle 77 written in 601 CE of Gregory the great to the Defensor Boniface, one of two known rectors of the early Corsican church, not to leave AleriaAléria
Aléria is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica...
and Adjacium without bishops. There is no earlier use of the term and Adjacium is not an attested Latin word, which probably means that it is a Latinization of a word in some other language. The Ravenna Cosmography
Ravenna Cosmography
The Ravenna Cosmography was compiled by an anonymous cleric in Ravenna around AD 700. It consists of a list of place-names covering the world from India to Ireland. Textual evidence indicates that the author frequently used maps as his source....
of about 700 CE cites Agiation, which sometimes is taken as evidence of a prior Greek city, as -ion appears to be a Greek ending. But, there is no evidence whatever of a Greek presence on the west coast and the Ionians
Ionians
The Ionians were one of the four major tribes into which the Classical Greeks considered the population of Hellenes to have been divided...
at Aleria
Aléria
Aléria is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica...
on the east coast had been expelled by the Etruscans long before Roman domination. The original name remains unknown, perhaps never will be known and therefore is likely to have been aboriginal.
Ptolemy
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Egypt who wrote in Greek. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule, and is believed to have been born in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the...
, who must come the closest to representing indigenous names, lists the Lochra River just south of a feature he calls the "sandy shore" on the southwest coast. If the shore is the Campo dell'Oro (gold because of the sand?) the Lochra would seem to be the combined mouth of the Gravona and Prunelli Rivers, neither one of which sounds like Lochra.
North of there is a Roman city, Ourchinion. His western coastline is so distorted, however, that it is impossible to say where Adjacium was; certainly, he would have known its name and location if he had had any first-hand knowledge of the island and if in fact it was there. Ptolemy's Ourchinion is further north than Ajaccio and does not have the same name. It could be Sogone. The lack of correspondence between Ptolemaic and historical names known to be ancient has no defense except in the case of the two Roman colonies, Aleria and Mariana. In any case the population of the region must belong to Ptolemy's Tarabeni or Titiani people, neither of which are ever heard about again.
Archaeological evidence
The population of the city throughout the centuries maintained an oral tradition that had originally been Roman. Nineteenth-century travellers could point to the Hill of San Giovanni on the northwest shore of the Gulf of Ajaccio, which still had a cathedral said to have been the 6th century seat of the Bishop of Ajaccio. The Castello Vecchio ("old castle"), a ruined citadel, was believed to be Roman but turned out to have Gothic features. The hill was planted with vines. The farmers kept turning up artifacts and terracotta funerary urns that seemed to be Roman.In the 20th century the hill was covered over with buildings and became a part of downtown Ajaccio. In 2005 construction plans for a lot on the hill offered the opportunity to the Institut national de recherches archéologiques preventatives (Inrap) to excavate. They found the baptistry of the 6th century cathedral and large amounts of pottery dated to the 6th and 7th centuries AD; in other words, the early Christian town. A cemetery had been placed over the old church. In it was a single Roman grave covered over with roof tiles bearing short indecipherable inscriptions. The finds of the previous century had included Roman coins. This is the only evidence so far of a Roman city continuous with the early Christian one.
Genoese foundation
The present town of Ajaccio was founded in 1492 3 kilometres (2 mi) south of the Christian village by the Bank of Saint George at GenoaGenoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, which dispatched Cristoforo of Gandini, an architect, to build it. He began with a castle on Capo di Bolo, around which he constructed residences for several hundred people. The new city was essentially a colony of Genoa. The Corsicans were restricted from the city for some years, even though they had requested the services of the bank as peace-keeper and problem-solver.
From origin to annexation
The Republic of GenoaRepublic of Genoa
The Most Serene Republic of Genoa |Ligurian]]: Repúbrica de Zêna) was an independent state from 1005 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast, as well as Corsica from 1347 to 1768, and numerous other territories throughout the Mediterranean....
was strong enough to keep Corsica until 1755, the year Pasquale Paoli
Pasquale Paoli
Filippo Antonio Pasquale di Paoli , was a Corsican patriot and leader, the president of the Executive Council of the General Diet of the People of Corsica...
proclaimed the Corsican Republic
Corsican Republic
In November 1755, Pasquale Paoli proclaimed Corsica a sovereign nation, the Corsican Republic, independent from the Republic of Genoa. He created the Corsican Constitution, which was the first constitution written under Enlightenment principles, including the first implementation of female...
. Paoli took most of the island for the republic but he was unable to force Genoese troops out of the citadels of Saint-Florent
Saint-Florent, Haute-Corse
Saint-Florent is a commune in Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica. It is a fishing port located on the gulf of the same name....
, Calvi, Ajaccio, Bastia
Bastia
Bastia is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It is also the second-largest city in Corsica after Ajaccio and the capital of the department....
and Algajola
Algajola
Algajola is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica.-Population:-References:*...
. Leaving them there, he went on build the nation, while the Republic of Genoa was left to ponder prospects and solutions. Their ultimate solution was to sell Corsica to France and French troops of the ancien régime replaced Genoese ones in the citadels, including Ajaccio's. Corsica was annexed to France in 1780.
Napoleon I
Ostensibly Napoleon Bonaparte (Nabulione Buonaparte) was born at Ajaccio in the same year as the Battle of Ponte NovuBattle of Ponte Novu
The Battle of Ponte Novu took place on May 8 and 9 1769 between royal French forces under the Comte de Vaux, a seasoned professional soldier with an expert on mountain warfare on his staff, and the native Corsicans under Carlo Salicetti...
, 1769. The Bonapartes at the time had a modest four-story home in town (now a museum known as Casa Buonaparte
Casa Buonaparte
Casa Buonaparte is the ancestral home of the Bonaparte family. It is located on the Rue Saint-Charles in Ajaccio on the island of Corsica. The house was almost continuously owned by members of the family from 1682 to 1923....
) and a rarely used country home in the hills north of the city (now site of the Arboretum des Milelli
Arboretum des Milelli
The Arboretum des Milelli is an arboretum located on the 12-hectare grounds of Les Milelli, outside Ajaccio, Corse-du-Sud, Corsica, France. Les Milelli was the long-time summer retreat of the ancestors of Napoleon I of France, and one of his childhood residences; its olive groves provided a large...
). The father of the family, attorney Charles-Marie Buonaparte, was secretary to Pasquali Paoli during the golden years of the republic.
After the defeat of Paoli the Comte de Marbeuf began to meet with some leading Corsicans to outline the shape of the future and enlist their assistance. Charles was among a delegation from Ajaccio in 1769, offered his loyalty and was appointed assessor.
Marbeuf also offered Charles-Marie one appointment for one of his sons to the Military College of Brienne
Brienne-le-Château
Brienne-le-Château is a commune in the Aube department in north-central France. It is located from the right bank of the Aube River and 26 m. northeast of Troyes....
, but the child must be under 10. There is a dispute concerning Napoleon's age because of this requirement; the emperor is known to have altered the civic records at Ajaccio concerning himself and it is possible that he was born in Corte
Corte
Corte is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica. It is the fourth-largest commune in Corsica .-Administration:Corte is a subprefecture of the Haute-Corse department.-History:...
in 1768 when his father was there on business. In any case Napoleon went to Brienne 1779–1784.
At Brienne Napoleon concentrated on studies. He wrote a boyish history of Corsica. He did not share his father's views but held Pasquale Paoli in high esteem and was at heart a Corsican nationalist. The top students were encouraged to go into the artillery. After graduation and a brief sojourn at the Military School of Paris Napoleon applied for second-lieutenancy in the artillery regiment of La Fère at Valence and after a time was given the position. Meanwhile his father died and his mother was cast into poverty in Corsica, still having four children to support. Her only income was Napoleon's meagre salary.
The regiment was in Auxonne
Auxonne
Auxonne is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in Bourgogne in eastern France.Auxonne is one of the sites of the defensive structures of Vauban, clearly seen from the train bridge as it enters the Auxonne SNCF train station on the Dijon - Besançon train line. It also was home to the Artillery...
when the revolution broke out in the summer of 1789. Napoleon returned on leave to Ajaccio in October, became a Jacobin
Jacobin (politics)
A Jacobin , in the context of the French Revolution, was a member of the Jacobin Club, a revolutionary far-left political movement. The Jacobin Club was the most famous political club of the French Revolution. So called from the Dominican convent where they originally met, in the Rue St. Jacques ,...
and began to work for the revolution. The National Assembly in Paris united Corsica to France and pardoned its exiles. Paoli returning in 1790 after 21 years kissed the soil on which he stood. He and Napoleon met and toured the battlefield of Paoli's defeat. A national assembly at Orezza created the department of Corsica and Paoli was subsequently elected president. He commanded the national guard raised by Napoleon. After a brief return to his regiment Napoleon was promoted to First Lieutenant and came home again on leave in 1791. The death of a rich uncle relieved the family's poverty.
All officers were recalled from leave in 1792, intervention threatened and war with Austria (Marie-Antoinette's homeland) began. Napoleon returned to Paris for review, was exonerated, promoted to Captain and given leave to escort his sister, a schoolgirl, back to Corsica at state expense. His family was prospering; the estate increased.
Napoleon became a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Corsican National Guard. Paoli sent him off on an expedition to Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
ordered by France under Paolis's nephew, but the nephew had secret orders from Paoli to make sure the expedition failed. The leader was now a conservative, had opposed the execution of the king and supported alliance with England. Returning from Sardinia Napoleon with his family and all his supporters were instrumental in getting Paoli denounced at the National Convention in Paris in 1793. Napoleon earned the hatred of the Paolists by pretending to support Paoli and then turning against him (payment, one supposes, for Sardinia).
Paoli was convicted in absentia, a warrant was sent for his arrest (which could not be served) and Napoleon was dispatched to Corsica as Inspector-general of Artillery to take the citadel of Ajaccio from the royalists, who had held it since 1789. The Paolists combining with the royalists defeated the French in two pitched battles and Napoleon and his family went on the run, hiding by day, while the Paolists burned their estate. Napoleon and his mother, Laetitia, were taken out by ship in June 1793, by friends while two of the girls found refuge with other friends. They landed in Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
with only Napoleon's pay for their support.
The Bonapartes moved to Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
but in August Toulon offered itself to the British and received the protection of a fleet under Admiral Hood
Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood
Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood was a British Admiral known particularly for his service in the American War of Independence and French Revolutionary Wars...
. The Siege of Toulon
Siege of Toulon
The Siege of Toulon was an early Republican victory over a Royalist rebellion in the Southern French city of Toulon. It is also often known as the Fall of Toulon.-Context:...
began in September under revolutionary officers mainly untrained in the art of war. Napoleon happened to present socially one evening and during a casual conversation over a misplaced 24-pounder explained the value of artillery. Taken seriously he was allowed to bring up over 100 guns from coastal emplacements but his plan for the taking of Toulon was set aside as one incompetent officer superseded another. By December they decided to try his plan and made him a Colonel. Placing the guns at close range he used them to keep off the British fleet while he battered down the walls of Toulon. As soon as the Committee of Public Safety
Committee of Public Safety
The Committee of Public Safety , created in April 1793 by the National Convention and then restructured in July 1793, formed the de facto executive government in France during the Reign of Terror , a stage of the French Revolution...
heard of the victory Napoleon became a Brigadier General, the start of his meteoric rise to power.
The Bonapartes were back in Ajaccio in 1797 under the protection of general Napoleon. Shortly after Napoleon became First Consul and then emperor, using the office to spread the revolution throughout Europe. In 1811 he made Ajaccio the capital of the new Department of Corsica. Despite his subsequent defeat by the Prussians, Russians and British allies, exile and death, no victorious power has reversed that decision or tried to remove Corsica from France. Among the natives, though Corsican nationalism is strong, and feeling often runs high in favor of a union with Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, loyalty to France, as evidenced by elections, remains stronger.
Climate
Main sights
- The peninsula carries the citadelCitadelA citadel is a fortress for protecting a town, sometimes incorporating a castle. The term derives from the same Latin root as the word "city", civis, meaning citizen....
and terminates in the Citadel jetty. To the south-west of this peninsula lies the Place Bonaparte, a quarter frequented chiefly by winter visitors attracted by the mild climate of the town. Panorama of Square overlooking bay here. - The house in which Napoleon BonaparteNapoleon I of FranceNapoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
was born in 1769 is preserved as Casa BuonaparteCasa BuonaparteCasa Buonaparte is the ancestral home of the Bonaparte family. It is located on the Rue Saint-Charles in Ajaccio on the island of Corsica. The house was almost continuously owned by members of the family from 1682 to 1923....
, and his associations with the town are everywhere emphasized by street-names and statues. - The town is also home to Ajaccio CathedralAjaccio CathedralAjaccio Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in Ajaccio, Corsica. It is the seat of the Bishop of Ajaccio....
. - Genoese towers: Torra di Capu di FenuTorra di Capu di FenuThe Torra di Capu di Fenu is a Genoese tower in Corsica, located in the commune of Ajaccio.It is one of the Official Historical Monuments of France.-Notes and references:...
, Torra di a ParataTorra di a ParataThe Torra di a Parata is a Genoese tower in Corsica, located in the commune of Ajaccio.This tower was built circa 1550 by Dumenicu d’Urnanu and Girolamo da Levante, on the Pointe de la Parata, facing the Îles Sanguinaires archipel....
, and Torra di CastelluchjuTorra di CastelluchjuThe Torra di Castelluchju is a Genoese tower in Corsica, located in the commune of Ajaccio. This tower was built on the largest island of the arthipel of Îles Sanguinaires.It is one of the Official Historical Monuments of France.-Notes and references:...
in the Îles Sanguinaires archipel
Economy
Ajaccio has a small manufacturing economy of cigars, macaroniMacaroni
Macaroni is a variety of moderately extended, machine-made, dry pasta made with durum wheat. Macaroni noodles do not contain eggs, and are normally cut in short, hollow shapes; however, the term refers not to the shape of the pasta, but to the kind of dough from which the noodle is made...
, and similar products, and carries on shipbuilding
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
, sardine
Sardine
Sardines, or pilchards, are several types of small, oily fish related to herrings, family Clupeidae. Sardines are named after the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, around which they were once abundant....
-fishing and coral
Coral (precious)
Precious coral or red coral is the common name given to Corallium rubrum and several related species of marine coral. The distinguishing characteristic of precious corals is their durable and intensely colored red or pink skeleton, which is used for making jewelry.-Habitat:Red corals grow on rocky...
-fishing. Its exports include timber, citrons, skins, chestnuts and gallic acid.
The port is accessible by the largest ships, but its accommodation is indifferent. In 1904 there entered 603 vessels with a tonnage of 202,980, and cleared 608 vessels with a tonnage of 202,502.
The airline CCM Airlines
CCM Airlines
Compagnie Aérienne Corse Méditerranée S.A.E.M., trading as Air Corsica , is a regional airline with its head office on the grounds of Ajaccio – Campo dell'Oro Airport in Ajaccio, Corsica, France. It operates passenger services from Corsica to metropolitan France...
has its head office on the grounds of Ajaccio – Campo dell'Oro Airport (Napoleon Bonaparte Airport).
Population
Major population growth within Ajaccio occurred between 1945 and 1975, with a doubling of the city's population, caused by a general shift of the population away from rural areas. From the 1960s, pieds-noirs (French citizens living in the north African colonies), immigrants chiefly from the MaghrebMaghreb
The Maghreb is the region of Northwest Africa, west of Egypt. It includes five countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania and the disputed territory of Western Sahara...
, and continental French people also contributed to the increase.
Transport
Ajaccio is served primarily by Campo dell'Oro AirportCampo dell'Oro Airport
Ajaccio – Napoléon Bonaparte Airport, Aéroport d'Ajaccio Napoléon Bonaparte, , formerly Campo dell'Oro Airport, is the main airport serving Ajaccio on the French island of Corsica...
on the east side of the Gulf of Ajaccio just north of the mouth of the Gravona River
Gravona River
The Gravona is a river on the island of Corsica, France. It flows from the center of the island southwest to the Gulf of Ajaccio. Its entire course is in the Corse-du-Sud Department of France. The Gravona Valley conducts the main highway, Route N193, from the capital city, Ajaccio, to the Col de...
. From there Route N193 readily connects to the center of the city. Ferries also leave regularly from Quai L'Herminier on the west side of the gulf for Porto Torres
Porto Torres
Porto Torres is a comune and city in northern Sardinia, in the Province of Sassari.It is situated on the north coast about 25 km east of the Gorditanian promontory , and on the spacious bay of the Gulf of Asinara.-History:...
, Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
and Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
. A major road, Route N194, travels up the valley of the Gravona River leading to Corte
Corte
Corte is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica. It is the fourth-largest commune in Corsica .-Administration:Corte is a subprefecture of the Haute-Corse department.-History:...
and is paralleled by a scenic narrow-gauge railway. Another major road, Route N196, winds southeast to Bonifacio.
Local buses
The local public transport organisation, Transports en Commun d'Ajaccio (Ajaccio public transport) provides 8 urban routes, 4 "citadines" routes, and 9 longer distance routes. The 8 main lines are:- Line 1 : Les Crêtes – Vazzio/Ricanto-Capitello
- Line 2 : Les Crêtes – Confina
- Line 3 : Place De Gaulle – Pietralba
- Line 4 : Miséricorde Hospital – Budiccione
- Line 5 : Place de Gaulle – Tennis Parata
- Line 6 : SNCF Station – Castelluccio/Cimetière Saint Antoine
- Line 7 : Empereur – Loretto
- Line 8 : Bus depot – Aéroport Campo dell'Oro
A 300 place carpark is planned at Mezzana in the nearby commune of Sarrola Carcopino to encourage combined car-bus use.
The introduction of a tramway or tram-train
Tram-train
A tram-train is a light-rail public transport system where trams run both on an urban tramway network and on main-line railways to combine the tram's flexibility and availability and the train's greater speed...
has also been proposed between Mezzana station in the outer suburbs and the main train station. The use of ferries is also being considered.
Railways
Gare d'AjaccioGare d'Ajaccio
Gare d'Ajaccio is a railway station serving the town Ajaccio, Corse-du-Sud department, southeastern France.-References:*...
, owned by Chemins de fer de Corse (Corsica Railways), is located near the port and connects Corte
Corte
Corte is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica. It is the fourth-largest commune in Corsica .-Administration:Corte is a subprefecture of the Haute-Corse department.-History:...
, Bastia
Bastia
Bastia is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It is also the second-largest city in Corsica after Ajaccio and the capital of the department....
and Calvi (with transfer).
There are two optional stops:
- Gare des Salines, at the north of the city, in the district of the same name.
- Gare de Campo dell'Oro, near Ajaccio Airport.
Administration
Ajaccio has held several administrative roles over the years:- chef-lieuChef-lieuA chef-lieu is a town or city that is pre-eminent, from an administrative perspective, in any given sub-division of territory in France and some French-speaking countries.-In Algeria:...
(chief town or capital) of the department of Corsica, from 1790 to 1793; - chef-lieu of the department of LiamoneLiamoneLiamone was a department of France from 1793 to 1811. It was located in the southern and western parts of the island of Corsica. The capital was Ajaccio....
from 1793 to 1811; - chef-lieu of the department of Corsica, from 1811 to 1975;
- chef-lieu of the region, then of the territorial commonwealth of Corsica, from 1970, and finally of the department of Corse-du-Sud (South Corsica), from 1976.
Inter-town links
Since December 2001, Ajaccio has been part of the Communauté d'Agglomération du Pays Ajaccien (CAPA) with nine other communes: (AfaAfa, Corse-du-Sud
Afa is a commune in the Corse-du-Sud department of France on the island of Corsica.-Population:-References:*...
, Alata, Appietto
Appietto
Appietto is a commune in the Corse-du-Sud department of France on the island of Corsica.-Geography:Appietto is located 17 km from Ajaccio, and stretches from the Gozzi mount to the coastline of the Gulf of Lava...
, Cuttoli Corticchiato, Peri
Peri, Corse-du-Sud
Peri is a commune in the Corse-du-Sud department of France on the island of Corsica.-Population:-References:*...
, Sarrola Carcopino, Tavaco
Tavaco
Tavaco is a commune in the Corse-du-Sud department of France on the island of Corsica.-Population:-References:*...
, Valle di Mezzana and Villanova
Villanova, Corse-du-Sud
Villanova is a commune in the Corse-du-Sud department of France on the island of Corsica.-Population:-References:*...
.
Ecclesiastical status
- The town is the seat of a bishopric dating at least from the seventh century. It has tribunals of first instance and of commerce, training colleges, a communal college, a museum and a library; the three latter are established in the Palais Fesch, founded by Cardinal Fesch, who was born at Ajaccio in 1763.
Sport
- The local football clubs are Ligue 1Ligue 1Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
side AC AjaccioAC AjaccioAthletic Club Ajaccio is a French association football club based in the city of Ajaccio on the island of Corsica. The club was founded in 1910 and currently plays in Ligue 1, the first division of French football, having finished 2nd in the 2010–11 campaign in Ligue 2. The club president is Alain...
and NationalChampionnat NationalThe Championnat de France National, commonly referred to as simply National or Division 3, serves as the third division of the French football league system behind Ligue 1 and Ligue 2...
side GFCO AjaccioGazélec AjaccioGazélec Football Club Olympique Ajaccio was founded in 1910. The club is based in Ajaccio, Corsica.- Honours :* French Amateur Champions: 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968.* Corsican Champions: 1937, 1938, 1956, 1957, 1961.-Current squad:...
.
Personalities
- Carlo BuonaparteCarlo BuonaparteCarlo Maria Buonaparte was a Corsican lawyer and politician who briefly served as a personal assistant of the revolutionary leader Pasquale Paoli and eventually rose to become Corsica's representative to the court of Louis XVI...
(1746–1785), politician, father of Napoleon Bonaparte. - Joseph FeschJoseph FeschJoseph Fesch was a French cardinal, closely associated with the family of Napoleon Bonaparte. He was also one of the most famous art collectors of his period.-Biography:Fesch was born at Ajaccio in Corsica...
(1763–1839), cardinalCardinal (Catholicism)A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
. - Napoleon BonaparteNapoleon I of FranceNapoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
(1769–1821), Emperor of the French. - Lucien BonaparteLucien BonaparteLucien Bonaparte, Prince Français, 1st Prince of Canino and Musignano , born Luciano Buonaparte, was the third surviving son of Carlo Buonaparte and his wife Letizia Ramolino....
(1775–1840), Prince of Canino and Musignano, Interior Minister of France. - Elisa BonaparteElisa BonaparteMaria Anna Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi Levoy, Princesse Française, Duchess of Lucca and Princess of Piombino, Grand Duchess of Tuscany, Countess of Compignano was the fourth surviving child and eldest surviving daughter of Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Ramolino, making her the younger sister of...
(1777–1820), Grand Duchess of Tuscany. - Louis BonaparteLouis BonaparteLouis Napoléon Bonaparte, Prince Français, Comte de Saint-Leu , King of Holland , was the fifth surviving child and the fourth surviving son of Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Ramolino...
(1778–1846), King of Holland. - Caroline BonaparteCaroline BonaparteMaria Annunziata Carolina Murat , better known as Caroline Bonaparte, was the seventh surviving child and third surviving daughter of Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Ramolino and a younger sister of Napoleon I of France...
(1782–1839), Queen Consort of Naples and Sicily. - Jérôme BonaparteJérôme BonaparteJérôme-Napoléon Bonaparte, French Prince, King of Westphalia, 1st Prince of Montfort was the youngest brother of Napoleon, who made him king of Westphalia...
(1784–1860), King of Westphalia. - François CotyFrançois CotyFrançois Coty was a French perfume manufacturer, newspaper publisher, and founder of the fascist league Solidarité Française...
(born 1874), French perfumer and businessman. - Irène BordoniIrène BordoniIrène Bordoni was a French singer and a Broadway and film actress.-Early years:Born in Ajaccio, France, from an Italian family, she had been a child actor, performing in Paris on stage and in silent films for a few years, having signed with theatrical agent André Charlot...
(1895–1953), singer, Broadway theatre & film actress. - Tino RossiTino RossiTino Rossi was a singer and film actor.Born Constantino Rossi in Ajaccio, Corsica, France, he became a tenor of French cabaret and one of the great romantic idols of his time. Gifted with an operatic voice, a "Latin Lover" persona made him a movie star as well...
(1907–1983), singer, actor. - François DupratFrançois DupratFrançois Duprat was a writer and Holocaust denier. He was known also for being a founding member of the Front National party and part of the leadership until his assassination in 1978.-Biography:...
(1941–1978), French writer. - Michel Ferracci-PorriMichel Ferracci-PorriMichel Ferracci Porri...
(born 1949), French writer. - Jean-Michel CavalliJean-Michel CavalliJean-Michel Cavalli is a French and Corsican licenced professional football manager and former football player.-Biography:...
(1959–?), coach of the Algeria national football teamAlgeria national football teamThe Algeria national football team , nicknamed الأفنــاك, Les Fennecs , represents Algeria in association football and is controlled by the Fédération Algérienne de Football. Algeria's home ground is the Stade 5 Juillet 1962 in Algiers and their head coach is Vahid Halilhodžić.Algeria has qualified...
. - Garance Dore (born 1975), female French illustrator, fashion blogger and photographer.
- Alizée Jacotey (born 1984), female French singer.