Citadelle (Terra Nova)

The Citadelle — known in Corsican as Terra Nova (New Land) — is the upper fortified quarter of Bastia, built by the Genoese in the 15th century on a steep rocky headland above the Vieux Port. The main gate, the Porte Louis XVI, leads into a compact but handsome residential neighbourhood of stone palaces and paved alleys quite different in character from the terra vecchia below.

The principal sight within the citadel is the Palais des Gouverneurs, the former residence of the Genoese governors, which now houses the Musée de Bastia. The museum covers the island's history from prehistory to the 20th century, with particular attention to the Genoese period and the brief episode of Corsican independence under Pasquale Paoli. The ramparts offer the best panoramic views in Bastia — north across the Place Saint-Nicolas and the ferry port, south along the rocky coastline toward Cap Corse.

things to do sight
A story
The Genoese governors of Corsica built their citadel at Bastia on a promontory that falls steeply to the sea on three sides — an almost impregnable position that they defended successfully for over four centuries. Inside the walls, the residential quarter of Terra Nova developed as a neighbourhood exclusively for the Genoese ruling class, while ordinary Corsicans lived in the lower town below. The social separation is still legible in the architecture: the buildings inside the citadel are taller, better-built, and more formal than those in the medieval lanes below.