Calvi citadel and the bay

Calvi puts three things in one frame that rarely sit together: a walled Genoese citadel on a headland, a six-kilometre curve of sand backed by umbrella pines, and — from February into May — snow still lying on the Monte Cinto massif behind. The citadel's ramparts are open to walk, the lanes inside are stone and quiet, and the terrace at the top looks straight down the bay.

Two different sessions live here. Inside the walls it is architecture: arched gateways, worn steps, washing lines, a view down onto the marina. Along the beach and in the pinède it is holiday light — early morning, before the beach clubs put out loungers, with the citadel small and hard-edged at the end of the sand.

Practical: the citadel climb is short but steep and entirely cobbled, so flat shoes between frames; the beach is public and busy from mid-morning in July and August; and the light is best at either end of the day, because midday on white stone and pale sand is as contrasty as it sounds.