Ile-Rousse (Russet Island) and the Balagne
Fancy a welcoming and warm destination for your next holiday in Corsica? Air Corsica offers you a direct flight to Calvi-Sainte Catherine airport. By road you will soon reach the pretty city of Ile-Rousse built by Pasquale Paoli.
Overlooking one of the most beautiful gulfs of the Mediterranean, in the north-west of Corsica and in the heart of the Balagne, L'Ile-Rousse is an inescapable place combining conviviality and well-being for the whole family. Surrounding a bay limited to the northwest by islets of red porphyry, the origin of its name, to the south by a pristine white sandy beach, the Ile-Rousse in all its beauty, spreads to the west from the sea to the Semaphore Hill and the Fogata Pass.
In the old town, certain houses with Florentine interior stairs are absolutely magnificent. The first church built in 1740 and destroyed in 1936 gave its name to the rue Notre Dame. The church dedicated to Notre-Dame de la Miséricorde (Our Lady of Mercy) is adjacent to a former Franciscan convent, while the church of the Immaculée Conception de Marie (Immaculate Conception of Mary) is appealing with its forecourt and enormous date palms.
As soon as you arrive, let yourself be seduced by Place Paoli, where you can taste the dolce vita while enjoying the shaded terraces of the cafés or a simply sitting on a bench. For a little more animation, the improvised petanque courts will award you some pleasant moments of relaxation ...
L'Ile-Rousse offers you three beautiful fine sandy beaches where everyone can find happiness: sailing, jet-ski, buoy rides, sunbeds and sunbathing, or sandcastles for the little ones...
For more active and sporty holidays, explore the surrounding villages: Corbara, Monticello, Pigna and Santa Reparata or even attacking the hiking trails so you can walk in the footsteps of the old Balagne mule drivers.
L'Ile-Rousse is a city apart in the history of Corsica that Air Corsica wants you to discover by boarding one of its direct flights.