Bonifacio

The citadel overhangs the sea on limestone that has been undercut by waves until the buildings lean out further than the cliff supports. Bonifacio in France sits on Corsica's southern tip, a walled city on a white promontory with Sardinia visible across twelve kilometres of open strait. The harbour entrance is a narrow fjord — sailing in feels like threading a needle between fortress walls.

Bonifacio occupies a narrow limestone peninsula on Corsica's extreme southern coast, its citadel buildings extending beyond the cliff edge on foundations undermined by marine erosion. The Escalier du Roi d'Aragon — 187 steps carved directly into the cliff face — descends from the citadel to sea level, allegedly cut in a single night during a 15th-century siege. The harbour is a natural fjord, or calanque, stretching 1,500 metres inland between steep limestone walls. The Strait of Bonifacio, separating Corsica from Sardinia, is a twelve-kilometre channel with strong currents and is designated a marine reserve. The upper town retains its Genoese character — Bonifacio was a Genoese possession for over 500 years — with tall, narrow houses opening onto alleys barely wide enough for two people to pass.