In exile on St Helena, Napoleon regretted not enriching Corsica when, as French emperor, he easily could have. Having developed an idyllic memory of his youth, he dictated to his secretary Las Cases that, “the Bonaparte family had retired [from Corsica] to Nice [in mainland France].” Napoleon’s last visit to Corsica was a quick stopover […]
Bonapartes Branded Corsican Outcasts Read More »
Young Napoleon, growing up in a household in which his mother seemed always to be pregnant, sought out solitary refuges. One was a wooden lean-to on the family porch, another was a grotto on the outskirts of Ajaccio. Legend says he was hiding in this second spot, when his father and the Count de Marbeuf
Napoleon’s Corsican Grotto Read More »
In 1778, nine-year-old Napoleon left Ajaccio, Corsica to attend French military academy. In France, his fellow students mocked his foreign accent and chip-on-the-shoulder Corsican patriotism. Eight years later, when he returned home for the first time, the locals thought him “Frenchified.” He struggled to relearn his childhood language and sought out old friends and places,
A Corsican in France, A Frenchman in Corsica Read More »
I arrived in Corsica believing Napoleon had grown up poor within limiting confines. At twenty-six, how could he have dared to whisk an army across the snowcapped Alps? How could anyone with few worldly experiences have sailed off blithely to conquer Egypt? I wondered, as so many have, how this island boy of narrow prospects
Ajaccio’s cathedral, dedicated to the Virgin Mary and built in 1593, is steps from the Bonaparte house. Tradition says it was here on August 15, 1769, Letizia Bonaparte felt sudden labor pains and rushed home, giving birth to Napoleon on a first floor sofa before she could reach her upstairs bedroom. The church hasn’t changed
The Bonaparte’s country house in Milelli is less famous than the Ajaccio residence but to me more telling. Located in the hills above Ajaccio, it sits among rich olive trees, many old enough for Napoleon to have known them. Here, the family came in the summer months, fleeing the heat and mosquitoes of the coastline.
Milelli, Bonaparte Family’s Corsican Country House Read More »
In Corsica, the most famous house is the Maison Bonaparte in Ajaccio where Napoleon was born on August 15, 1769. According to tradition, his mother, Letizia Ramolino was praying in the nearby cathedral when she felt severe labor pains. She hurried home, only making it to a first floor parlor where she gave birth to
Maison Bonaparte, Napoleon’s birthplace Read More »
Ajaccio, Corsica, is a lovely place, on a vast Mediterranean bay, full of Italian exuberance and French style. It’s a bit run-down here and there, but that only adds to the authenticity. We arrived on its patron saint’s feast day and were treated to a solemn religious parade and marching band. The museums were closed for the
First Day in Napoleon’s Hometown Read More »
