Bastia

Bastia is a common French, located in the department of the Haute-Corse and the Corsica area .

Its inhabitants is called the Bastians.

Geography

Located in the North-East of the Corsica , at the base of the Corsica Cape, Bastia is the main thing port of the island and its commercial main city. The annual average temperature rises with 15,3° and one counts 5 days of freezing per annum… The winds are frequent there, and violent one, abundant pluviometry (+ of 700 mm). But one counts 340 days (!) of sun per annum!

History

Before the occupation of Corsica by the génois, Cardo was a large village. With its feet, there was a small hamlet where the fishermen of Cardo lived. This small port was called Oporto Cardo which wants to say “the port of Cardo”.

The génois quickly felt the need to take cover from invasions which came from the sea and started to build, of the time of the governor Léonello Lomellini, a bastiglia (a bastille), i.e. a fortified town, a citadel.

With time, the bastiglia (Bastia) developed, became prosperous and became more important than Cardo.

During 50 last years, Cardo was the second home of easy Bastians.

Currently, Cardo is a district of Bastia, on the heights of Pigno. Many people leave cardo to go down to work in Bastia. All its history is included/understood in its “bastiglia” the citadel of the origins which constitutes the closed city. It is here the sea and the mountain which decide establishment of the inhabited places, as the relief of the island requires it. Also, Bastia was capital in the time of the domination génoise. It clung to the slopes to be spread out later, by gaining over water its place Saint Nicolas.

Modest navy which it was with the commercial port which it became, its history was marked out glories and vicissitudes which any strengthened city knew.

Elected by the patrician génois Léonello Lomellini, in 1353, to ensure the connection with Genoa, it was born so to speak from its rock on which a keep (bastiglia, from where its name) was high and that, some hundred years later, ramparts were girdled.

Collected behind walls and bastions, around its palate of the Governors, today museum, Terra-Nova take care on the old port, downwards. In the peace of the memory, it does not miss a charm with its network of fresh lanes.

Two very interesting sanctuaries. The Holy church Marie, built starting from 1495, strongly altered at the beginning of the 17th century. Behind this church, the vault Holy Cross with an exuberant interior ornamentation. The vault has its treasure: the Christ of the Miracles, which the Bastians venerate, found in 1428, floating on water, by two fishermen.

The low city, Terra-Vecchia, which had conquered Génois, was stretched along the coast. In spite of modern constructions very invading, it preserved its seal of Mediterranean port. With its picturesque lanes, the city has as a heart the place Saint Nicolas which is a long shaded esplanade where was set up a statue out of marble of Napoleon in Toge 1853.

Close to the old port, the church Holy Jean-Baptiste starting from 1583, raises a noble traditional frontage, and its interior baroque of the 18th century. Remarkable furniture, organ, pulpit, tables of the collection of the Fesch cardinal.

As for the vault of the Immaculate Conception 1611 with the vault painted at the 19th century and the tended velvet walls, it joins together, in its sacristy museum, of many parts of religious art of the 15th century and XIXe century coming from sanctuaries of the city.

Economy

The census of 1999 gives the figure of 39016 inhabitants, in rise of 0.01% compared to 1990 (+39 hts). 10% from abroad there are counted.

Unemployment rate is very high there: 20% in 2004.

Bastia is the seat of the Chamber of commerce and industry of Bastia and Haute-Corse. It manages the wearing of Bastia, the port of Island-Russet-red the as well as the Aéroport of Bastia Poretta and the Aéroport of Calvi-Holy-Catherine.

It is the first French port of the Mediterranean in term of passengers with more than 2.3 million passengers in 2006. It is the second French port behind Calais (15 million passengers)

Administration

Demography

Famous characters

That which one called Large Moro, appointed republican-Socialist, was the uncontested owner of the hexagonal bars (one disputed it with his colleague César Campinchi!). Among its many feats of arms, it defended the marked Bulgarian young person of the fire of the Reichstag. With this occasion, it challenged Hermann Goering directly: “Then Goering! Then take guard with you! the author of the crime of the Reichstag, Goering, it is you! ”. What will be worth to him to be required by the Gestapo during the war.

  • César Vezzani (1888-1951): One of the most famous voices of the XX° century, “Emperor of the tenors” according to the Tsar Nicolas II.

Tourist monuments and places

Bastia is classified Ville of Art and History.

The museum of Corsica

The old palate of the governors génois point of disjunction a museum of Corsican Ethnography very interesting.

The fortress supported on the keep and decorated of a bell-tower of the 16th century, assembles a secular guard on Terra-Nova and across the ramparts, on the old port. Terranova, the mountain and the littoral. All the fields are approached there: popular geology, flora, history, arts and traditions, contemporary art.

Through objects, costumes, parts of furniture, engravings and documents various, the country lives again, of Neolithic times at the time modern. In the court is preserved the turret of the submarine Casabianca, escaped of Toulon into 1942 which carried out then the connection between the island and Algeria.

In a place dedicated to defense, the garden of the governors surprises. Also it deserves visits, the more so as he enjoys a superb sight on the neighborhoods.

On the place St Nicolas, many coffees invite to a small pause. One should not miss making purchases with Mattei. This store on the place was open approximately 100 years ago and it was hardly transformed since. One finds there what the heart wishes: Corsican wine specialities, liquors, Corsican honey, cakes, flour of sweet chestnut, pottery of the country… It is true that it is a little expensive. One finds things cheaper with the store “U Muntagnolu”, with the street César Campinchi. A visit is essential too.

Gastronomy

Some specialities:
  • Sardines with the Brocciu : Fresh sardines stuffed with Brocciu, cheese made up of curdled milk of ewe.
  • the Baccalà : It is simply of cod. This dish was regarded a long time as the dish of low in Corsica because its price was accessible and because, strongly salted, it was preserved easily.

Film turnings

  • Rosebud , American film carried out by Otto Preminger in 1975.
  • Forza Bastia , documentary French carried out by Jacques Tati and Sophie Tatischeff in 1978.
  • insular Mission , French film carried out by Thierry Lorenzi in 2005.
  • the Corsican investigation , French film carried out by Alain Berbérian in 2004.
  • That is called the dawn , Franco-Italian film carried out by Luis Buñuel in 1955.
  • the man of London ,film britanico-germano-Hungarian carried out by Bleated Tarr and inspired of a novel of Georges Simenon.

Twinnings

Sport

Bastia was distinguished through its club from Football the Sporting Club from Bastia.

The club was finalist of the UEFA Cup in 1978 and victorious of the Coupe de France of football in 1981. He was also finalist of this last cut in 1972 and 2002. Sporting Club of Bastia evolves/moves this season there in championship of League 2.

Internal bonds

External bonds

  • the official site of the Town of Bastia
  • Site of supporters of the SC Bastia
  • Site of the Athletic Circle Bastian

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