The GR20 Corsica. Paddy Dillon

but tales are legendary and it is difficult to separate the man from the myth. Seigneurial families, who were split by long-standing rivalries, dominated life on the island. The feudal system ensured that common folk were treated quite harshly, leading to some internal conflicts.1077The Pope appointed the Bishop of Pisa to administer Corsica, and for a time the island enjoyed a period of peace.1133The Genoese, who were rivals to the Pisans, successfully lobbied the Pope for a share of Corsica, and the island was divided between Pisa and Genoa. The Genoese gradually undermined Pisan control on the island.1284The Genoese finally defeated the Pisans at the Battle of Meloria, and began to erect considerable fortifications around Corsica. Resentment was rife, as many Corsicans were simply evicted from their properties and forced into servitude. The Pope handed Corsica and Sardinia to the Aragonese, but the Genoese refused to relinquish control, setting the scene for decades of conflict.1420An Aragonese force managed to take control of most of Corsica and a Viceroy ruled the island until 1434, when the Genoese beheaded him.1453The Genoese appointed a powerful financial body, the Office de St Georges, to administer Corsica. They installed a military regime, strengthened fortifications around the island, developed agriculture and raised taxes.1553Corsica was invaded by French troops, in which a colonel called Sampiero Corso, also known as ‘The Fiery’, and ‘the Most Corsican of Corsicans’, scored notable victories over the Genoese. Although Corsica was regarded then as a French possession, it was handed back to the Genoese under the Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis. Sampiero Corso made another bid at conquest in 1564, but this was ultimately unsuccessful. The Genoese remained troubled by Saracen raids and therefore further strengthened the fortifications around the island. The lot of common Corsicans remained dire.1730When an old man refused to pay his taxes, increasing numbers of Corsicans joined him in refusing to pay theirs also, and this led to a rebellion against Genoese rule. In 1732, Austrian soldiers were dispatched to the island to restore order, and were soundly defeated at the Battle of Calenzana. The Genoese, however, quickly and brutally regained control.1736Obviously in need of a leader, many Corsicans flocked to support a German adventurer called Théodore de Neuhoff, who was proclaimed Théodore I, King of Corsica. Although he promised military support against the Genoese, it was not forthcoming, and Corsicans had to struggle on by themselves against their brutal colonisers.1738The Genoese accepted an offer of military assistance from the French. By 1741, the French considered that they had put down the rebellion and departed, only to return when trouble flared up again in 1748.1754Pascal Paoli, one of the most famous names in Corsican history, led a rebellion that briefly allowed a Corsican state to be established from 1755 to 1769, with its centre of control in the mountain citadel of Corte. Democracy, education and justice were central to Paoli’s administration, but the Genoese again looked to France to regain control over the island. In the event, the French ended up taking control of Corsica away from both the Genoese and native Corsicans.1769The beginning of French rule in Corsica was followed closely by the French Revolution, which was wholeheartedly supported by Corsicans. Pascal Paoli enjoyed a brief period of favour with the French, and when he lost their favour, Corsicans proclaimed him ‘Father of the Nation’.1794A British force attacked Calvi, where Nelson lost his eye, and an Anglo–Corsican state was proclaimed. Sir Gilbert Elliot was installed as viceroy, angering supporters of Paoli. Some Paoli supporters later joined forces with the French, so that the British eventually departed from Corsica.1796French rule was restored on the island, but there was widespread discontent, even though a famous son of Corsica, Napoleon Bonaparte, was crowned Emperor in 1804. It seems that Napoleon did little for his native island, and prevented native Corsicans from taking positions of control.1801Corsica found itself under military rule under General Morand, followed in 1811 by General César Berthier.1814British soldiers responded to an appeal from the inhabitants of Bastia, but were quickly withdrawn from Corsica following the abdication of Napoleon.1815Corsica’s establishments and infrastructure were improved, with the construction of roads and a railway, schools and industry, but this did little to stem massive emigration from the island. In fact, Corsica’s population was halved, and the island had a reputation as a place of crime and violence.1909A plan was proposed for the development of Corsica, but this suffered a setback due to the First World War. Thousands of Corsican soldiers enlisted in the army and died in battle, cutting further into the island’s population.1940Mussolini had been interested in Corsica for some time, before helping to land some 90,000 Fascist and Nazi troops on the island. Many Corsicans waged a guerrilla war on the occupiers, coining the term ‘Maquis’ for the Resistance, after the impenetrable scrub covering much of the island. The Allies armed the guerrillas by dropping caches of weapons in remote parts on the island. At the end of the war, the Americans sprayed DDT on the island to rid it of malaria-carrying mosquitoes that had affected it for thousands of years.1962The ‘events in Aléria’, as they came to be known, started with pieds-noirs Algerians and a scandal in wine-making processes, and ended with a militant Corsican sit-in and the deaths of two policemen. Discontent had been brewing for some time around the island, and indeed, had its roots in centuries of domination and oppression. Corsican nationalism took on many forms, from street protests and political posturing, to crime and assassination, with bombing campaigns throughout the 1970s. Calls for autonomy have at least resulted in the Collectivité Territoriale de Corse having a distinct language and culture of its own, and a greater control over its affairs than any other region of France.1970Under the direction of Michel Fabrikant, surveys were made to determine the course of a mountainous route that would become the GR20.1972The Parc Naturel Régional de Corse (PNRC) was established, covering most of the high mountains and almost 40% of the island. The first refuges were established along the GR20.2001The French government gave Corsica limited autonomy, but this was later declared to be unconstitutional and was withdrawn.2003A plan for greater Corsican autonomy was put to the vote in a referendum, but was narrowly defeated by 51% to 49%.2013The Tour de France started in Corsica for the first time in its history.2014The GR20 was run non-stop in a record 32 hours by Guillaume Peretti.2015A landslide in the Cirque de la Solitude killed seven trekkers and resulted in the closure of that part of the route.2016All aids, including markers, were removed from the Cirque de la Solitude. The GR20 route now passes over the shoulder of Monte Cinto.

      A turbulent history indeed, and one that is set to run and run. It is a great pity that trekkers on the GR20 will barely be aware of any of it!

Getting to Corsica

      Corsica can be reached by regular flights or ferries, while more adventurous travellers might consider an overland approach through Europe using long-distance trains or coaches. Getting to Corsica is considerably easier than getting around Corsica, so choose an entry point that has good connections with the GR20, and ensure that on completion of the trek, it will be possible to reach your exit point in good time. It is wise to build in a couple of extra days in case of any ferry or flight delays, or in case inclement weather or fatigue cause alterations to your original carefully planned trekking schedule.

      See Appendix E, Useful contacts, for a list of overland and air transport operators.

      By air

      By far the easiest way to reach Corsica is to fly, and there are four airports on the island – Bastia www.bastia.aeroport.fr, Calvi www.calvi.aeroport.fr, Ajaccio www.2a.cci.fr, and Figari www.2a.cci.fr/Aeroport-Figari-Sud-Corse.html. All four airports are served by Air France www.airfrance.com and Air Corsica www.aircorsica.com, but