Corsica: three ideas to enjoy la dolce vita

Villa Calvi, a new generation hotel

There are hotels embodied. Inseparable from its owners. The story of Jean-Pierre and Marion Pinelli is a storytelling. He, a Corsican from Balagne who left for a bush pilot in Africa, then a jet-setter, wants to get into the hotel business. Between Saint-Barth and Corsica, his heart swings. Homesickness finally reminds him of Calvi. She, a young model from the North, passionate about decoration, made the bet to follow him in this crazy project. In 1992, they opened La Villa Calvi, the city's first luxury hotel, with the Relais & Châteaux stamp since 1995. The establishment, nestled in an immense Mediterranean garden planted with thyme, immortelle, myrtle, lavender, etc. at the foot of Notre-Dame de la Serra, enjoys a breathtaking view of the gulf and the citadel. Expanded over the years (buildings, private villas, several swimming pools, etc.), the hotel is getting a makeover in 2018. Marion is orchestrating a new score, with the contribution of her favorite creators, including Philippe Hurel for the furniture, Pierre Frey and Jim Thompson for the fabrics, Julie Prisca for the lighting… It is in this setting that the new generation of Pinelli enters. If their son Antoine prefers to devote himself to the sale of works of art, Marie, their daughter, has the hotel business in the blood. Trained in the best Swiss schools and then in Parisian palaces, she rose to prominence alongside her parents. At 25, she breathes new energy. With the choice of a young chef, Mickaël Furnion (formerly Four Seasons Megève and K2 Altitude Courchevel), who signs a refined Mediterranean cuisine. With new "experiences" and excursions to discover the region, sports lessons and outdoor activities, work to enrich the well-being and spa treatments. Because"Everything must change so that nothing changes" ...

Hotel La Villa Calvi (Tel: 04 95 65 10 10) . 3 days / 2 nights for two people, € 1,340 full board, with a duo massage, a bottle of champagne…

Horse riding in Balagne

The equestrian guide reveals secrets about the endemic plants and flowers of the maquis. hurry

The Agriates desert, with its mineral landscapes and its 40 kilometers of wild coast, draws a dream playground for riders. The equestrian guide traces his route in this no man's land in the heart of 16,000 hectares of bushy scrub. In passing, he reveals some secrets about the endemic plants and flowers of this prodigious nature reserve. He tells stories of pastoral life in the shade of a pagliaghju. The 4 hour outing ends with a gallop in the waves.

Eluxtravel (Tel: 01 76 24 24 40). 4 nights in a 5 * hotel, from € 3,375 for two people (Paris / Calvi AR flights and horseback riding included).

The grand tour of the island by cruise

Broken to the new health protocol, the ship sails from Nice to Calvi, Porto-Vecchio, or even Bonifacio. Marcel Belanger

Deprived of the St. Lawrence River and its Canadian roaming this summer, the Beauty of the Oceans has not said her last word. The ship (5 anchors), broken with the new sanitary protocol, is back in service from Nice for a grand tour of Corsica. The essential stages - Calvi, Cap Corse, Porto-Vecchio, the Lavezzi islands, Bonifacio, Ajaccio… - follow one another. Visits enriched by Alain Loison's lectures on the Corsican soul, the Bonapartes, or the fate of an island ...

CroisiEurope (Tel .: 0 825 333 777). From € 1,999 (from Nice), 8 days all inclusive. 120 passengers max. Until October 10.