Calvi sits on the northwest coast of Corsica, a port town dominated by a massive Genoese citadel that is visible from far out at sea. Below the fortress walls, the Basse Ville is a compact tangle of restaurants, markets, and cafes centred on the Quai Landry.
The real draw is the beach — a long crescent of fine white sand stretching east from the town, backed by pine groves and lapped by startlingly clear water. Calvi is growing more popular each year, but it has not lost its character. The citadel is worth the climb for the views alone — as is Notre-Dame de la Serra on the ridge above town — and Calvi claims, without much evidence but with great conviction, to be the birthplace of Christopher Columbus.