An insider’s guide to Corsica

I’ve lived on the French island of Corsica on and off for 12 years, but I’ve been coming here for 45. My parents first visited in 1973 and loved it so much they bought a little house, so we had holidays here every year. And because we grew up gallivanting around the world – my father was a diplomat for the United Nations – it always felt like home. It was the only place I came back to. 

When I started my swimwear brand in 2003, I began spending more and more time here. I live in Porticcio, in the gulf of Ajaccio, where we used to visit. The light is phenomenal, and I take a lot of inspiration from the colours and textures of the local beaches – all my swimwear is named after them. 

Ajaccio, Corsica’s capital, has an old citadel and little pedestrian streets with an Italian feel – the island is closer to Italy than it is to France. On one side you have palm trees, oleander bushes and the sea; on the other you’ve got snow-capped mountains. The Val d’Ese ski resort is a 40-minute drive, and if you go up during the week it’s like having your own private ski resort; from one of the runs you can see the Mediterranean while you’re skiing. Afterwards, you can come down and go surfing or dive for sea urchins. From December to April, sea urchins are a speciality here and people have big picnics on the beach, diving for them and drinking wine. 

My favourite beach is the one I went to as a child, Mare é Sole. It has the most beautiful white sand and crystal-clear water, but by 10 o’clock it’s packed. Another of my favourites is Cupabia, which has a great restaurant, Cala di Cupabia. When you’re on the beach you can’t see the road, just mountains and the sea. 

Because the produce is so amazing, we end up eating at home a lot, but I love pizza and there are two great places nearby. L’Epizzeria Frédo is family-style; I order the Sale e Pera with caramelised pear, gorgonzola and walnuts. And U Papacionu, on a tiny pedestrian street by the cathedral where Napoleon Bonaparte was baptised, is an Ajaccion institution. When it opens for summer, everyone goes there. 

Corsican food tends to be quite rich: winter stews and wild boar. The cheeses and charcuterie are well-known so it’s fun to go to Ajaccio market. One trader, Eric Targetti, has known me since I was three years old. He’s done so well that he now has five shops around the island: he runs Stella di Mare in Ruppione, and his children run others. 

I would say that Bonifacio, down in the south, is the most beautiful town. It’s on a clifftop, and from there you can take the ferry over to Sardinia. This is the second year of its De Renava art biennale, which shows pieces by Bill Viola and Basquiat. At nearby Hôtel Genovese, the restaurant is built in the old ramparts of the citadel and the Italian chef makes amazing pasta. 

When you cross the island, you go via the Col de Vizzavona pass. You can see over the pine forests, and when the fog is low I think I’m in the Himalayas. Near there is a shepherd’s house, La Bergerie de Tolla, on the GR20, one of the most famous – and toughest – treks in Europe. You can walk, swim in the rock pools and then eat nice cheese at his place. 

Another place to stay is Villa Urbana, a new boutique hotel in Ajaccio. It’s very modern and the views from the two pools are amazing. I’m eagerly awaiting the spa that opens in November. Back in the south, Les Bergeries de Figari is a collection of five stone former sheepfolds, each sleeping between two and five people, and with individual swimming pools, plus a small villa-hotel. There are 20 alpacas that roam around, so it’s great for kids. 

And while you’re here, you should buy local. Marc-Antoine Corticchiato is an amazing perfumer with his own brand, Parfum d’Empire. I go to Maison Blanche in Ajaccio to buy his scents. At Empires, everything is based around Napoleon and Joséphine, but it’s quite rock ’n’ roll, with cool T-shirts and jewellery. And Studio Tomasi is a gallery full of vintage Corsican photos. Queen Elizabeth II came here in the ’50s and they have great photos of her arriving, with all the grandiose pageantry that came with it. 

I always say that if you like a St Tropez, Nikki Beach kind of thing, don’t come to Corsica. It’s not very glitzy – but it’s special. I’ve been lucky enough to travel all over the world, and honestly, the best beaches are in Corsica.