White limestone citadel balanced on cliff-edge above the Strait of Bonifacio — Homer's Laestrygonians lived here
Bonifacio is among the most dramatically situated towns in Europe — a medieval citadel perched on the edge of white limestone cliffs, with the old town's houses overhanging the void 70 metres above the sea. The town sits at the southernmost tip of Corsica, separated from Sardinia by the 11km Strait of Bonifacio. The natural harbour below the cliffs is a deep, sheltered inlet hidden from the sea — invisible until you are almost inside it. Homer's description of the harbour of the Laestrygonians in the Odyssey is widely believed to describe Bonifacio.
Bonifacio was founded in 828 CE by Boniface II, Count of Tuscany, and was a Genoese stronghold from 1187 to the French annexation of Corsica in 1768. The town never fell to assault — it withstood a famous siege by Aragon in 1420 when the king of Aragon led a combined fleet of 120 ships and failed to take it. The Aragonese staircase (168 steps cut directly into the cliff face) was reputedly carved in a single night by Aragonese soldiers. Napoleon was briefly stationed here as a young lieutenant, and the house where he was quartered still stands.