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  1. #1
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    Oct 2003
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    Anybody ever been to Corsica?

    Planning a big trip in late June for the first time taking the 6 year old minimagette abroad. Gong to fly in and out of Florence with the first week at an agroturismo in Tuscany. Looking for a beach option after that and Corsica looks pretty cool but I don't know jack about it. Would have a car and take the ferry from Livorno to Bastia then rent some place on the coast for a week. Anybody been there before? Recs?
    Was also thinking of Italian beach towns but the whole beach scene there looks pretty crowded and not exactly relaxing. Unless I'm wrong?
    Unless someone wants to convince me that we should scrap the beach thing and head to the Dolomites instead.
    "Great barbecue makes you want to slap your granny up the side of her head." - Southern Saying

  2. #2
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    Sep 2008
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    You could also check out Argetario. But, yeah, you should just go to the Dolomites.

    Edit: that should have read Argentario

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    Last edited by I've seen black diamonds!; 01-02-2019 at 07:50 PM.

  3. #3
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    Jul 2002
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    Scrap the whole beach thing and head to the Dolomites instead.
    Quando paramucho mi amore de felice carathon.
    Mundo paparazzi mi amore cicce verdi parasol.
    Questo abrigado tantamucho que canite carousel.


  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
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    Oh, I've been to Corsica.

    Quote Originally Posted by XXX-er View Post
    the situation strikes me as WAY too much drama at this point

  5. #5
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    Jan 2009
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    I spent two weeks there, really cool place. Mountains are good, beaches are good, climbing is good.

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  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
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    Capri is way better. There is a ferry from Naples

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
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    111
    Quote Originally Posted by LegoSkier View Post
    Planning a big trip in late June for the first time taking the 6 year old minimagette abroad. Gong to fly in and out of Florence with the first week at an agroturismo in Tuscany. Looking for a beach option after that and Corsica looks pretty cool but I don't know jack about it. Would have a car and take the ferry from Livorno to Bastia then rent some place on the coast for a week. Anybody been there before? Recs?
    Was also thinking of Italian beach towns but the whole beach scene there looks pretty crowded and not exactly relaxing. Unless I'm wrong?
    Unless someone wants to convince me that we should scrap the beach thing and head to the Dolomites instead.
    Having done a lot of trips to Italy (i was your daughter’s age for two of them), my two cents: try to hit Venice and Florence for sure, and then Rome if you think she’ll appreciate history (or you really want to cover it—she can always go later in life bc coliseum isn’t going anywhere...). Otherwise, Rome is not worth the horrible crowds and humidity. It’s changed for the worse in last 20 years, sadly.

    100% skip beach, rent car, and go north to the ~Dolomiti~. No need to pit stop in Milan, Lake Como, Verona, etc. en route—not a lot for kids her age (we took my 8 year old brother 2 years ago on this exact itinerary and he was bored until the mountains).
    The scenery is awe-inspiring and certainly better than any rooftop bus city tour.

    Dolomites are stunning, and so accessible for families. Lots of cheap places to stay, and countless hikes she could do. She’ll never forget it!

    My parents took us when sister and I were 10 and 6 and we have so many great memories.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    May 2015
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    50
    I've stayed at this hotel several times before, between Florence and Pisa because I was working nearby. Hotel is dated but good views, the Tuscan food is great and incredible local wines.

    Hotel Quattro Gigli, Piazza Michele Da Montopoli, 56020 Montopoli in Val dʼArno, Italy

  9. #9
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    Mar 2004
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    Watch the surf movie Bella Vita to get stoked on Tuscany. Nothing else to add. Heading there next October, but we will be in Sicily for our beach town visits.

  10. #10
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    Reason I mentioned Argentario is that it's easier to get to than the bigger Islands, but doesn't have the shitty beach scene you'll find in much of Italy. I haven't been to Corsica, but my mother likes the place.

    If you skip the beach and head to the Dolomites, I'd recommend stopping for a few hours in Lake Guarda, which has been a summer spot since the Romans were organizing orgies away from the heat of the seven hills. On the same peninsula you can visit a medieval castle (which is impressive, but would have been a horrible place to live) and ruins of Catullus's house (the sort of place you'd expect Mick Jagger to live). The juxtaposition is fascinating and the setting is beautiful. Milan isn't a great tourist city. Verona is nice, but after a week in Tuscany, probably not that interesting, although if someone in your party is into gladiators, the arena is pretty cool.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
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    Aspen
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    Quote Originally Posted by LegoSkier View Post
    Planning a big trip in late June for the first time taking the 6 year old minimagette abroad. Gong to fly in and out of Florence with the first week at an agroturismo in Tuscany. Looking for a beach option after that and Corsica looks pretty cool but I don't know jack about it. Would have a car and take the ferry from Livorno to Bastia then rent some place on the coast for a week. Anybody been there before? Recs?
    Was also thinking of Italian beach towns but the whole beach scene there looks pretty crowded and not exactly relaxing. Unless I'm wrong?
    Unless someone wants to convince me that we should scrap the beach thing and head to the Dolomites instead.
    We're planning to be in Corsica late June/early July this summer as well and backpack the GR20. We've been in the Dinaric Alps in Albania and Julian Alps in Slovenia over the last few summers and looking for similar, quiet, rugged mountains to explore. Can't go wrong in the Dolomites, but likely more people.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
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    Bottom feeding
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    10,828

    Anybody ever been to Corsica?

    Verona does have that fictional balcony where a couple of fictional lovers hung out.
    I love Italy, etc., but kids do love the beach. The beaches on the Adriatic near Ravenna could be a nice, (closer), option as a treat for the kids after looking at 57 tapestries of a bleeding Christ at the Uffizzi.
    That castle mentioned in the Lake Garda post:
    Click image for larger version. 

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    Last edited by plugboots; 01-03-2019 at 10:28 AM.
    Well maybe I'm the faggot America
    I'm not a part of a redneck agenda

  13. #13
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    May 2002
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    Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars
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    I was on Corsica a couple years ago in April before the tourist season really began for the year. We took a ferry from Marseilles, to I'lle Rousse in the north. Super chill little beach town. We took the train to Calvi, the train was an experience in itself, it was basically a tram with an old International diesel under the hood complete with standard transmission. We rented a car and drove south to Bonnafasio, super cool island, I'd like to go back and spend more time checking it all out. Bonifacio is a really cool town, it's where Napoleon Bonaparte grew up. Not much beach in Bonifacio. I met an old guy hitchhiking from the airport to Banifacio after I dropped the rental car, he spoke Corsican (almost French) so we could almost communicate, it was interesting.

    Transportation on the island is a nightmare, busses and trains don't connect, airport taxis can be almost nonexistant, bus from the airport? Nope. Opportunities to get off the Corsica to Sardinia were limited to 2 boats/week. I was told the lack of transportation was because tourist season was not in full swing so your experience could be very different. I'lle Rouse to Bonifacio is about 200km, it would have taken 2 days on 2 trains and 3 buses to make the trip.

    We took a ferry to Sardinia and pretty much parked in Alghero for a week. Super chill Italian beach town. If you make it to Sardinia pick me up a bottle of Mirto, it's a liqueur local to Sardinia and Corsica made from myrtle berries, super yummy.
    You are what you eat.
    ---------------------------------------------------
    There's no such thing as bad snow, just shitty skiers.

  14. #14
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    Oct 2003
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    Quote Originally Posted by LegoSkier View Post
    Looking for a beach option after that and Corsica looks pretty cool but I don't know jack about it. Would have a car and take the ferry from Livorno to Bastia then rent some place on the coast for a week. Anybody been there before? Recs?
    Was also thinking of Italian beach towns but the whole beach scene there looks pretty crowded and not exactly relaxing. Unless I'm wrong?
    Never been to Corsica but my Italian friends go there for climbing & hiking after the winter season. For a reason, apparently. Off-the-beaten-path areas and interesting vibe. If you are solely for beaches it might not be the best one as it is quite rocky in general. Definitely on my #1 to do list with Sardinia, will prolly head to both next summer. Have heard nothing but good about the island itself. The locals can apparently be a bit "characters" now and then but they are generally cool. Apparently the Asterix in Corsica has some truths in it...

    One thing that peeps warn about is the weather, for the ferries. Now and then you get the Mistral winds and they can affect the ferry schedules. Take that into account. And make sure you can take the car there to begin with. In various places there are restrictions where you can take your rental, due to the aforementioned reasons. For example you can not take a rental from Majorca to Menorca...because the weather. Too many rental cars stuck there because of bad weather and people taking flights out instead. And, as you go from Italy to France when going to Corsica, check out the small print with the rental.

    Dolomitis? Been there few times in summer and winter. Awesome, in short. June will be outside the main holiday season so quite relaxed. Tre Cime di Lavaredo & Marmolada area are both stunning. One could easily spend a week there just driving around doing mellow hikes, checking out the best spots. There are a lot of easy access things that you can hike and enjoy the views but with a kid I would definitely stay out of any even remotely challenging paths.
    With "challenging" I mean any high altitude paths. Things go from mellow to hardcore in 15m. Have had more excitement on a C Via Ferrata than on many climbs and E few E ones still come to my dreams.

    The Italian coast... Been there from Finale Ligure (good climbing & ok beaches) to La Spezia on several occasions. Verdict : Meeeh.
    Nice looking places here and there but from June until October it is crowded. The crowdedness' varying from "uuuh" to "aaargh!", the "aargh!" being Quince Terre in August. That is like Disneyland with a dash of Louvre & Mona Lisa thrown in, during holiday season. Ad to that even if you are outside the main tourist season the infra is build upon tourism : Meh restaurants & hotels with generally bad service and shitty food compared to rest of Italy.

    So?

    - Corsica : If you are adventurous and level headed individuals (as you are?) then definitely Corsica.
    - Dolomitis : If you want to play it safe and enjoy a cool holiday (pun intended), especially if a heatwave hits Europe. +42c in Corsica vs +22 in Arabba.
    - Coast: If you are masochists that enjoy family infighting, bad food, high prices and leprosy.

    The floggings will continue until morale improves.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
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    TennesseeJed
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    10,988
    93 was the best Corsica. Beautiful machine. LT trim of course.
    "I don't pretend to have all the answers, and I think there's something to be said for that" -One For The Road

    Brain dead and made of money.

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
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    Ventura Highway in the Sunshine
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    Better beaches in California, so go there some weekend and spend your time in Italy do things you can only do in Italy. Venice is supper cool, I enjoyed Verona, it has its own coliseum. Lake Garda for a little swimming and water fun, then time in the Dolomites, which are spectacular. Never been to Florence, but it sounds amazing at least art wise.

    Finale Ligra is cool, but small and will be a lot more fun when the kiddo is bigger and climbing?

    That said, I can't believe she is six, where has all the time gone

    I agree it is a constitutional right for Americans to be assholes...its just too bad that so many take the opportunity...
    iscariot

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