Porto-Vecchio

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Administration
Commune of Porto-Vecchio
Location
Longitude	09° 16' 49" E
Latitude	41° 35' 30" N
Country	France
Région	Corse
Département	Corse-du-Sud
Arrondissement	Sartène
Canton	Porto-Vecchio
Statistics
Altitude	0 m–1,316 m (avg. 40 m)
Land area¹	168.65 km²
Population² (1999)	10,326
- Density (1999)	61/km²
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code	2A247/ 20137
¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq. mi. or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
² Population sans doubles comptes: single count of residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel).

Porto-Vecchio (Porti Vechju in Corsu) is a town and commune of the Corse-du-Sud department, on the island of Corsica, in France.

1 History and Politics
2 Geography
3 Activities
4 Gastronomy
5 External links

[edit] History and Politics

The town of Porto-Vecchio is also called the city of salt, because this one was built on salt-water marshes which were drained in order to develop itself, and more particularly the harbour zone. The political life of this city is a family affair. In fact, the actual mayor is Camille de Rocca-Serra, who was elected five years ago. But before him, his father, Jean-Paul, was already mayor of this town during forty years. This politician is members of a right party , the UPM (Union for a Popular Movement), a famous french political movement, and he is also the president of the Corsican assembly.

[edit] Geography

Porto-Vecchio is the third largest town in Corsica after Bastia and Ajaccio. This little town is located on the south of the island and the population is five times smaller than in Bastia which contains 50,000 inhabitants in comparaison to the 10,000 residents in Porto-Vecchio. Nevertheless, in summer, as it is an attractive area, tourists come from many countries around the world, in particular from Italy, Germany or Netherlands and finally, the population is multiplied by four. So it is not a lie to say this area is very appreciated by tourists. One of the most important reasons for this passion is the geographical situation of Porto-Vecchio. In fact, this town is the second largest harbor station on the south of the island, after Ajaccio, which is why many tourists arrive here by ferry and benefit to visit the town and its surroundings. Moreover, there are a lot of beautiful beaches in this area and the most famous is Palombaggia, which is listed among the most wonderful beaches around the world according to a majority of tourists.

[edit] Activities

The city of Porto-Vecchio presents all the advantages of a seaside resort and shows some wonderful aspects that only its natural environment can reveal. In fact, except the coast and its many beaches which represent the most appreciated destination of tourists; there are a lot of various ways to pass a splendid journey in this area. First of all, if you dislike sea, sun and beach, do not panic because you can discover the back country of this area, with its mountainous landscape and these small rivers. For example, 40 kilometers far to Porto-Vecchio is the "Aiguilles de Bavella", which are famous for their so particular forms and which can be discovered at the time of a pedestrian excursion of approximately six hours. This excursion is in fact a stage of the most famous way of great excursions of the island, the GR20, which is spread out over more than 220 kilometers and which enables you to discover Corsica in another manner. Moreover, in summer, many other activities are proposed to the tourists. Since a few years, the adventures parks have developed everywhere on the island, as well on the coast than in the "maquis" (macchia in Corsu), which is a vegetable formation lower than a forest, very dense, made up mainly of shrubs resistant to the dryness, formant of the thorny and inextricable thickets. These parks are much appreciated by the tourists because they allow a total expatriation and especially, they guarantee strong feelings, which will leave them a good remember. Today, there are four adventures parks in the Porto-Vecchio area. After that, you will be able to visit the old city with its church, in which you will appreciate a religious ceremony which will be celebrated in the regional language. Next, the evening, after having tasted the many specialities quoted below, you will be able to spend a pleasant moment to the festival which takes place each summer on the road of the beaches. And to finish this splendid day, you will dance during all the night with your friends in one of the three night clubs which are in this area. There are still many other activities to make in this area, such as for example the deep-sea diving, the Jet Ski and the visit of the different small beaches which are accessible only by the sea. The most beautiful place to practise these activities is the Lavezzi Islands, near Bonifacio, because it is a protected natural reserve. You can also appreciate the Corsican songs at the time of an estival concert. The most known ambassador of this style is the group I Muvrini, which sold several million albums in the world.

[edit] Gastronomy

Corsican gastronomy is rich and varied. Many of food are seasonal like clementines or citrus, which need much sun to be developed. In fact, Corsica is the only region of France producing this variety of oranges, around 25,000 tonnes per year and 40% of this production comes from Porto-Vecchio or its area. This fruit is very famous for its freshness and the vitamins which it brings. Another fruit very significant in Corsica and in particular in Porto-Vecchio is the chestnut because they are used in many Corsican dishes and in many ways. For example, it is used to make bread or crepe. But Corsica is reputed for its charcuterie too. You can find a lot of various pork specialities like coppa, lonzu or prizuttu, which one is similar to a parma ham but the most famous is figatelli, which is smoked. A very good complement to charcuterie is cheese and Corsica has a lot of famous cheeses too. Most of cheeses are made by the shepherds themselves around the mountains and the most typical cheese is called brocciu, which is prepared with sheeps milk, and you can find this one easily near Porto-Vecchio. Moreover, in this area, the cheeses are often pressed and have dry crusts. Of course, to accompany these delights, Corsican wine is necessary and Porto-Vecchio contains three small producers of rose wine which will be perfectly appropriate.