Ajaccio — Maison Bonaparte and Old Town

Ajaccio, on Corsica's west coast in Corse-du-Sud, is the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1769, and the Maison Bonaparte on Rue Saint-Charles is the family house where he spent his early years. The townhouse has been preserved with period furniture, family portraits and documents, spread over several floors that show how a respectable Corsican family lived in the 18th century. Among the details visitors are shown is the trapdoor said to have helped the family escape during the unrest of the 1790s, when they left the island. The surrounding old town is a compact grid of narrow streets running down to the harbour, with Place Foch, a statue of Napoleon, the cathedral where he was baptised, and the waterfront promenade within easy walking distance. The nearby Musée Fesch holds Cardinal Fesch's collection of Italian paintings and is normally visited on the same day. Visitors typically spend about one hour in the Maison Bonaparte and three to five hours on a full old-town circuit including the museum, the market on Place Foch and lunch by the port. Admission to the Maison Bonaparte is about €8 for adults and €5 for reduced rates, and opening hours are longer in summer than in winter, with a midday closure in the colder months. Mornings are cooler and less crowded, and cruise-ship arrivals bring larger groups around midday in high season. Evenings suit the harbour promenade, where restaurants and cafés line the quays. The old town is largely flat near the water but includes steps and cobbles in the side streets. The ferry terminal is about twenty minutes on foot from the house, and the airport shuttle bus costs about €5 to the centre.