Exploring Sardinia and the South of France by yacht

The Island of Maddalena is a precious gem set within this archipelago, boasting magnificent beaches lapped by waves of crystalline water, glimmering sand, and splendid seabed’s. Its main town centre maintains its fishing village appearance, with the municipal building, Parochial Church of Santa Maria Maddalena, in addition to locales, restaurants and shops for every type of purchase.

There are few towns that can boast such a dramatic, seemingly precarious position as Bonifacio! Teetering perilously atop an eroding limestone promontory that juts out into the sea, east to west, for around1.5km, it has to be seen to be believed. This jaw-dropping context is not, however, Bonifacio’s only attraction. Panoramically speaking, Bonifacio is extraordinary: 360-degree vistas take in Corsica’s coastline, vast swathes of the Tyrrhenian Sea and, 12km to the south, the neighbouring island of Sardinia.

When you arrive in the small town Proriano, you will lunch at A Panattaria bakery and people watch. Following this will be a trip to the demure church where you will be given a tour of the beautifully decorated interior. For supper, you will dine at the decadent Le Mancinu before your evening stroll down the promenade.

If there is a Corsican stopover that is not to be missed at sea, it is the visit to the Scandola nature reserve. Created on 9 December 1975, Scandola was the first reserve in France with a dual vocation: marine and terrestrial. This peninsula of volcanic origin closes off the Gulf of Porto to the north, the first French natural site to be included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

A busy port during the Roman era, Calvi takes its name from the Calvus – ‘bald’ rock that would come to form the foundations of the Citadel. Within the walls you’ll find cobbled passages tightly packed with houses, dominated by the Cathédrale Saint Jean-Baptiste, which stands at the highest point of the Citadel. Every week here there are concerts of “Chants polyphoniques”, Corsican polyphonic singing.

The French Riviera is the beautiful coastline in the south of France along the Mediterranean Sea. It covers about 550 miles and acquired the nickname Cote d’Azur or Azure (Blue) coast. The French Riviera is known for its beaches, views, picture perfect water, yachts and as a playground for the wealthy.