Vue Aerienne Citadelle Caserne Montlaur Falaises Sardaigne Bonifacio

Bonifacio, a defensive townRamparts, bastions, barracks...

Military heritage: a thousand years of history to discover

It’s obvious: Bonifacio is a military town. Its upper town is surrounded by ramparts dating back to the Middle Ages, and some of the buildings were used until the departure of the Foreign Legion in 1983. In other words, there’s a lot to visit, to get interested in, to understand… And if military monuments haven’t always been aesthetically pleasing, you’ll certainly be able to see things differently in Bonifacio, if only for the landscape and the views. Come and discover this incredible citadel, listed as a historic monument.

Facade Bastion Etendard Meurtrieres Bonifacio

And then Boniface arrived...

The first person to build a “castrum” – a defensive point – in Bonifacio was a certain Boniface, Count and Duke of Lucca in Italy, who gave his name to the town. A dozen centuries ago, he dislodged the few pirates in the area and settled there. It wasn’t until the Pisans and then the Genoese that the fortified town took shape, consolidating over the centuries as the various points of the ramparts tell of the fear of seeing the town invaded and the need to protect it against all manner of invaders.

The Torrione, the first defensive building

The Torrione has a singular history: built by the Pisans to help defend the medieval city in 1484, it was destroyed in 1901 and rebuilt in 1984. The Genoese surrounded it with a wall and corner turrets. The fortification then became a “casteletto”. Located on the south side, facing the sea, the Torrione would have served as both a lookout and a keep over the centuries. The tower is now part of the Bonifacio elementary school. Outside school hours, you can climb to the top and admire the view, while the rooms can be used for seminars, meetings or exhibitions.

Tour Torrione Ecole Quartier Pisan Bonifacio

Esplanade Bastion Etendard Zoom Vegetation Falaises Sardaigne Bonifacio

Breathtaking views

Wherever you stand on the ramparts or military monuments that surround the town, you’re sure to admire an imposing panorama of the Bouches de Bonifacio. Choose the Bastion de l’Étendard in the morning for the view of Sardinia, and Saint-François in the evening for the sunset.

The Bastion of the Standard

France's highest

Built in the 15th century, the Bastion de l’Étendard towers over the harbor by more than 25 meters, allowing the eye to take in the Bouches de Bonifacio and their opening onto Sardinia on one side, and the harbor and countryside on the other.

The landscaped garden is a must when visiting the Bastion. The building is emblematic of the town, and is one of the most important elements of the fortifications. It also features a number of underground chambers, some dug into the rock. The vaults are reminiscent of the medieval architecture of the city’s ancient defense tower. The walls themselves seem to want to speak to us and tell a story that is explained by the various panels and video-projections.

Younger visitors can also visit the Bastion at their own pace, thanks to an illustrated booklet that reveals the secrets of this impressive and mysterious building. And don’t be surprised if they tell you knightly tales on the way out: the place is conducive to the imagination…

700 metres of ramparts criss-cross the city

They are Bonifacio’s very identity: some 700 meters of ramparts run all around the town, comprising 14 batteries, and have hardly been spared by time. Built from the 12th century onwards, they were modified, consolidated and amended until the 20th century to defend the town, whose history they tell.

In poor condition in places, the ramparts are currently being restored. The most southerly part, the Saint-François battery, has undergone impressive work, with scaffolding erected above the sea, supervised by architects specializing in Monuments Historiques. Work on four other batteries will complete the renovation, which was supported by the Fondation du Patrimoine.

The ramparts can be walked along in places, each time offering unparalleled views of the landscapes surrounding Bonifacio. To get to know them better and understand their complex history, a guided tour may be a good idea: only specialists will be able to reveal the 1001 secrets of these ramparts.

Montlaur, from the Genoese to the 20th century

In front of the Saint-Dominique church, two buildings stand out from the rest of the citadel. Two barracks, one Genoese, the other French, stand on either side of the eponymous Montlaur parking lot.

The Genoese barracks, on the Sardinian side, is the older building. It was built in 1731 to house an Austrian revolutionary corps during the Corsican Revolutions. At the same time, up to 2,000 soldiers dug the 60-metre-deep Saint-Barthélemy well. Opposite, the French barracks are much more recent, dating from the early years of the 20th century. Its last tenants were the soldiers of the Foreign Legion, who lived there until 1983.

As public buildings, the barracks are not open to the public, although several development projects are currently under consideration. Nevertheless, since 2022, the De Renava association has been organizing part of its contemporary art biennial and the entirety of its biennial off, the first of which was organized in conjunction with the Centre Pompidou. It’s a great way to get inside this forbidden enclosure, and to learn something new at the same time.

Did you know?

Did you know that even before its military heritage, Bonifacio was a haven for pirates? In the 6th and 7th centuries, pirates were particularly fond of Bonifacio, as the city and its surroundings offered a multitude of places to hide and watch for ships to attack…

Military past: a singular history

Bonifacio’s military history spans 1,000 years. Impossible to summarize, it unfolds before our eyes, sometimes unnoticed, even though every stone and every building could tell us hundreds of anecdotes dating back to the Middle Ages. The citadel is the identity card of the city of cliffs, an ensemble that gives it a unique character, telling as much the story of the city as that of Corsica and the wider Mediterranean, with its opening onto the Bouches and Sardinia.

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Stroll through the medieval citadel

Escalier Roy Aragon Marches Falaises Bonifacio

L’Escalier du Roy d’Aragon