Corsica is the geological envy of all the other islands of the Mediterranean. From mountain ranges with tumbling torrents to endless stretches of fine-sand beaches, it offers highly photogenic scenery as well as ample opportunities for hiking.

The port city of Ajaccio, birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte, is where most begin a visit to the island. Although subject to recent modernisation, this pastel-shaded, French-Mediterranean city remains a fine place for a stroll, especially noodling along the narrow streets that wind through the older parts of town. The island's most famous natural sight is Les Calanche, a spectacular mountain landscape of multi-coloured granite forms. When it's clear, there are terrific views of both the Mediterranean and the northern mountains. The Citadelle of Bonifacio, in Corsica's extreme south, is perched atop a long, narrow promontory of limestone cliffs. The town was subjected to several cruel sieges during the Middle Ages and retains a medieval ambience by way of its cramped alleyways and flying buttresses that funnel rainwater. Calvi, also radiating from its citadel, is a beachy town in the north-west of Corsica. The coast between Calvi and Île Rousse, 25kms to the north, is punctuated by a series of attractive beaches.

Food is a subject of endless discussion in France especially when you consider some of the more unusual delights such as foie gras, truffles, Roquefort cheese, well-built crustaceans, succulent snails plucked off grape vines, sharp-tasting fruit tarts - and you begin to appreciate the Frankish culinary zeal. There is, of course, no shortage of fine wines of many well-loved cultivars to help wash down the famous French cuisine.

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