Author Archives: Kathryn Burrington

Find a little taste of paradise in Calvi

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Calvi, in the north of Corsica, is a wonderful town with an impressive citadel looking down over a luxury yacht filled marina. I’ve visited Calvi many  times, both on holiday and whilst on photography assignments for Corsican Places. It’s the home of some very special music festivals (Jazz, Polyphony) and a lovely place to explore with a fantastic array of restaurants, cafes and bars to choose from and, just outside the town centre, a sweeping bay with a white sand beach and a back drop of pine woods and mountains.

With so many enticing restaurants to choose from where do you start? While in a wonderful setting, the restaurants along the beach are expensive and even if you have spent a lot on a meal you will still be expected to pay about 10 euros for a half day rental for a couple sun beds and an umbrella. Plus these restaurants are usually closed in the evenings.

Another area people tend to head for is the marina along Quai Landry – a great place to people watch and to admire the expensive yachts but for better value, a warmer welcome and I think a better atmosphere, I prefer the restaurants set back from the marina.

A Cigala is a lovely little restaurant, decorated in a cheerful yellow and green, next to Calvi’s covered market on Place de Marché. Specialising in fish and paella, it has been recommended by the Guide Petit Futé for the last three years. When I was here in June I found a pleasant welcome and good service. Passing on the seafood paella at 40 euros for 2 people, I opted for a tasty lasagne for 10 euros, still a bit pricey, but it was so delicious I was more than happy.

Another restaurant which I found quite charming was Casa Vinu on Boulevard Wilson. It was fairly early in the evening and there was no one else in the restaurant other than three generations of the family who owned it. They sat chatting away on a table near me and although no one spoke English, and my French is minimal to say the least, I was made to feel very welcome. Rather than choose anything from the menu on the blackboard I was offered a pie and, with no idea what was inside, I smiled and nodded. Soon, said pie returned, heated up and with a side salad. The vegetarian dish was not the most delicious meal I’d ever had but I really enjoyed the atmosphere of this simple pavement café that looked as if it would be at home in any impressionist’s painting. I would also suggest a visit to Casa Vinu to any wine connoisseurs as inside you will find Serge Ricco’s wine cellar and you will receive good advice on the wines of Corsica, I’m told.

If you are feeling energetic enough to climb the stairs, Calvi’s citadel offers a number of good places to eat, however, these are again rather more expensive. Opposite the cathedral entrance you will find the pretty tea rooms of Salon de thé A Scola, a great place to take time-out during a busy day of sightseeing with a cup of tea or coffee and a slice of cake. The pretty interior is full of interesting bric-a-brac and a few antiques. Either sit inside by a picture window overlooking the sea or on a table on the cobbled street overlooking the Place d’Armes.

For a more substantial meal there are three restaurants in the citadel, two on Place d’Armes but I prefer, A Candella, which you will find down a side alley off the square, just past the Oratoire. With a stunning view over the bay of Calvi it is the perfect place for a special meal. Your waiter will bring out a blackboard displaying the days menu and I found the service very good (and quick). I choose the honey roasted pork with a fig and muscat sauce served with mixed vegetables and herbed, roasted new potatoes for 14 euros (pictured above). It was delicious washed down with a Colomba beer.

For a cheaper option, take the road leading out of Calvi (towards the airport). You will find a number of pizzerias as well as restaurants serving traditional fare. These tend not to have the charm or the views of the town centre or the citadel restaurants, both of which are mainly pedestrianised areas, however, they are worth visiting if you have to watch your budget and I found the passing cars fairly unobtrusive.

Alternatively you can always pick up something delicious from a pâtisserie and have a picnic on the beach. Set back from the beach on Avenue Christophe Colomb opposite the turning for Route Pietramaggiore is the delightful mini-market of Au marché de l’Orée des Pins selling fruit and vegetables, fresh bread, wine, honey, charcuterie and ‘home-made’ pizzas, quiches and delicious fruit tarts. Although you should keep in mind that it shuts for lunch at around 12.30pm.

And for desert…. a stroll along by the marina is the perfect way to relax after an evening meal and there are a number of places selling delicious ice-creams. For 2 euros you can have a large scoop of chocolat noir, which for me is a little taste of paradise in an ice-cream cone, but there are a myriad of flavours to choose from. The bar/ice-cream parlour/café  Les Glacier on Rue du Marechal Joffre by the marina often has live music and I’ve heard some excellent gypsy swing guitarists here and if you feel like really indulging, for around 10 euros, you can have a seriously huge glass of various flavours of ice-cream with fruit. Tempted?

For more photographs of Calvi visit Flickr

A Cigala
Place du Marché 20260 Calvi (on Boulevard Wilson next to covered market)
Tel: 0495 650285
Menu includes fish and paella specialities

Casa Vinu
15 Boulevard Wilson 20260 Calvi
Tel: 0495 313709
Wine merchant and traditional Corsican restaurant

A Candella
Citadel 20260 Calvi
Tel: 0495 654213
Traditional Corsican cuisine

Hotel Cyrnéa, an excellent base for exploring Calvi and the surrounding area.

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Hotel Cyrnéa is  a very nice value-for-money hotel about 40 minutes walk from the town centre of Calvi and is an excellent base from which to explore the area as well as Calvi itself. I stayed here for a couple of days last June and found all the staff to be friendly and helpful. My room was simple but fairly spacious and the balcony had a view of the mountains behind the hotel. The pretty breakfast room overlooks the large swimming pool however there was one drawback in that the hotel doesn’t have a restaurant.

The location is lovely with the sandy beach just a short walk away through the pine trees that surround the bay of Calvi and you will find a number of restaurants for lunch but these generally close in the evenings.  A newly built wooden walk way along the beach ensures a very pleasant stroll into town. Although I preferred going back to the hotel along the main road after dark and even though I was on my own I felt very safe.

The hotel staff recommended the restaurant at the nearby Camping International as a good alternative to going into town. From Hotel Cyrnéa, (which you will find on the left handside of the road heading into Calvi), carry on towards Calvi centre, passed a round-about and you will see a sign for Camping International on your left. A dirt road leads from the main road to the restaurant. The menu was available in either French or German but my waiter spoke fluent English. As I would expect from a campsite restaurant there were numerous pizzas to choose from but I opted for steak and chips which came with a simple salad in a tasty dressing. I watched the chef preparing my meal in the open kitchen as I sat sipping a cool beer. The meal was good, the service excellent and I particularly enjoyed the free glass of limoncello (an Italian lemon liquer) which appeared unexpectedly at the end of my meal.

Ancient squares and cobbled alleyways overflowing with song!

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Every year Calvi’s citadel, which was built over 500 years ago, is the stunning setting for Rencontres de Chants Polyphoniques de Calvi.

Although I’ve visited Corsica a number of times, this was the first time I’ve been lucky enough to be there for this festival and I really hope it won’t be the last. The sky was as blue as ever, the sea as crystal clear, the people as friendly and the beer as refreshing but the music…. the music was simply breathtaking!

The festival was hosted by the polyphonic group, A Filleta. Their album Intantu transports me back to Corsica and a wonderful week of live music, from the buskers with their guitars playing gypsy swing at the foot of the citadel to the diverse collection of artists performing throughout the festival.

Most evenings there were two ticketed events but these were quite pricey and we only went to a couple. On the Saturday afternoon there was also a free concert which sounded interesting although I wasn’t familiar with the acts. I never imagined what a truly unforgettable day this would turn out to be!

Francesca Breschi and Ettore Bonafe

On a hot sunny afternoon, on the last day of an already memorable holiday, we climbed the steps of the citadel to Place d’Armes and found a number of craft stalls but no sign of any music!

Following the flow of people from the square down a side alley we came to the 14th century Oratoire and settled into our seats awaiting over 3 hours of live music by artists from Italy,  Mali and Corsica. After a wonderful performance by the Italian singer, Francesca Breschi with her harmonium, accompanied by percussionist Ettore Bonafe, everyone got up and left!

While wondering where the next performance might be, we heard the not so distant sound of a violin and accordion. The duo were playing in the street outside and after a delightful but short performance, a flute led us through the ancient alleyways to a small square, where the Sidikiba Coulibaly Trio from Mali were waiting to entertain us. The crowds soon filled up all the rows of chairs and overflowed onto walls and steps overlooking the little stage. A magical concert followed which delighted the enthusiastic audience.

As the final notes dissipated into the ancient walls, nearby singing reached our ears. Down another alley and up some steps we found another violinist, Maria Zaharia, accompanying Manu Theron (vocals/tammorra) with a lively collection of Occitan songs. After about 20 minutes the duo led us up another street, down passed the cathedral, through the Place d’Armes and back to the Oratoire where they continued their performance. Maria’s fiddling and her infectious smile were a delight and Manu’s vocals were amazing. As they finished they welcomed on to the stage Daniele di Bonaventura with his bandoneon.

Zi’ Riccardino

We were enjoying the music but didn’t want to miss another concert back at the square, Zi’ Riccardino with Riccardo Abate Esposito (accordion) and Maurillio Tallani et Imma Arguento (vocals and tammorra). Zi’ Riccardino is a delightful character that looks as if he just walked out of a story book from the Brothers Grimm. I only caught the end of his performance as they were singing, playing and dancing down the steps outside the cathedral. His energy and enthusiasm were contagious and it was a joy to watch.

What a wonderful concept! A magical afternoon as one musical delight led into another and took us on a musical tour around the citadel and the festival wasn’t over yet… another free concert that evening – PVC Napoli Quartet’s Neapolitan folk music inspired by magic and mythology. With a stunning backdrop of the mountains across the marina they played tarantellas as the sun went down. We danced and clapped along.

And still the day wasn’t over as we had tickets for the grand finale of the festival and as we waited to go in, a spontaneous and beautiful interlude of polyphonic singing started in the bar opposite the cathedrale.

The first half of the concert was a real treat as many of the groups that had performed throughout the festival each did two or three numbers. The polyphonic Ensemble Imeri from Georgia were particularly outstanding.

And to finish… Le Trio Jourban, Palestinian oud trio. The three brothers, who are fourth generation luthiers, and their outstanding percussionist Yousef Hbeisch, interacted skillfully to produce an outstanding and exciting performance of subtle and rich improvisations from their new album AsFãr (journeys). They took my breath away especially when guest Dhafer Youssef joined them on stage, his haunting vocals perfectly complimenting their beautiful melodies.

The concert ended well after midnight but outside wine and food were being served and the singing continued into the early hours – a wonderful end to the most amazing day!

For more photos visit: Flickr

More Myspace links:

A Filetta
Le Trio Joubran
Francesca Breschi
Maria Zaharia
Manu Theron – Lo Còr de la Plana 
Daniele di Bonaventura 
Carlo Faiello from PVC Napoli Quartet

Polyphonic ensembles from around the world gather in Calvi

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Since 1989, Calvi has played host to a wonderful singing festival held every September,
Les Rencontres Polyphonique de Calvi. 

Polyphonic singing is an important part of Corsican culture and this is one of the islands most celebrated events filling the town with crowds of onlookers. Various venues are used each year including the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist and the Citadel’s Oratory (one of my favourite venues due to it’s intimacy). Choirs have come from as far afield as Bulgaria, Indonesia, Mongolia, Tibet, Cuba and South Africa.

This year’s festival runs from Tuesday 13th to the Saturday17th September and includes choirs from Mali, Italy, Palestine and Georgia as well as Corsica. On Saturday afternoon there is a free concert but the other events are ticketed.

I have never been lucky enough to be in Corsica for this event before but I’m really looking forward to making some of the concerts this year. I will of course tell you all about it when I return.

Further information on this years event can be found at www.myspace.com/rencontrescalvi