Porto Vecchio - Aleria

General
Pretty long stage. Depending on the weather, possibility of strong head winds. Attention: During fall, more or less all campsites are closed. During fall '97, only the campsites in Porto Vecchio and Aleria were open. We planned to bike through the mountains. However, also there all campsites were closed. Fall is a pretty calm time in Corsica. But also the temperature are bearable with around 27°C :-). However, during thunderstorms ore the night, it also can be just around 10°C. A small campsite is just outside of Porto Vecchio near a roundabout. Also there, you can find a big supermarket (if it is still there...).

Distance
Around 75km

Type
Hilly

Additional Information
Porto Vecchio: The fortification system of Porto Vecchio was established 1539. The port is situated in a deep bay where it is quite well protected. Above there is a small town with a pretty "Piazza". Famous is Porto Vecchio also for its long beaches. From Pinarellu in the north up to the Punta di Rondinara and the bay of Sta. Manza there are the most beautiful beaches, deep bays, dune beaches with small lakes. It is a wonderful place for bath holiday-makers and surfers. Small pre-aged islands are popular targets for boat trips.

Aleria: The city, situated on a plateau nearby the river Tavignano, was once the best natural harbour at the coast and was settled since the Youth Stone Age. In the 6th century B.C. the branch Alalia was founded by the Greek. They had a special way to live (like its follower too) - an combination of trade and piracy. The result was: they had always battles. In the 3th century the city was conquered by the Romans. They made Aleria to the starting-point of their subjugation of the island (which went on nearly one hundred years and killed almost half of the population) and later to the capital of the Roman province Corsica. With the decline of the Roman empire the city decayed. Nowadays, Aleria is a village, towered above from a fort, which house a museum with antique finds.