James Gaston

White cliffs of Bonifacio

Bonifacio vieille ville

Hike to the lighthouse 10 Oct 2017 Hike to the lighthouse 10 Oct 2017 Bonifacio, Corsica --

Today we took a look at some of the defense and navigation aides located in this most-southerly point of metropolitan France.

In 1825 the French built 5 lighthouses around Corsica to help ships navigate, a program led by Augustin Fresnel. In addition to the one shown below, the Pertusato lighthouse, others were built in the Sanguinaires islands (near Ajaccio), Chiappa, Revellata, and Giraglia. The Pertusato lighthouse is a 21m high square tower, made of stones, centered on a rectangular building. It has been automated since 1985. Near the lighthouse is the Pertusato semaphore. It is still in use, guiding ships through the Corsica/Sardaigna strait.

Today we hiked out of town to the lighthouse which is on the island's southern-most tip and which is just a few km north of Sardinia. The beautiful hike tracks the edge of a limestone cliff. It passes the semaphore, some ruins of old buildings, and then ends at the lighthouse of Pertusato. As a bonus we were buzzed by a few French fighter jets as we walked along the cliffs. The greenery is plentiful but low and scrubby. An easy hike though there isn't any shade.

City on a hill

Bonifacio's harbour

On the way to the lighthouse

The building on the right is a semaphore

Ruins

The still-operating lighthouse

White cliffs of Bonifacio

Bonifacio vieille ville