Before we walked the streets of Ajaccio on Corsica, Ursula snagged us a quick bus tour just outside the cruise terminal. She was anxious to get us aboard, as another much larger cruise ship was preparing to offload passengers and the bus would fill up quickly if we did not act. The bus would take us to some highlights in southwest Ajaccio, then head west for some sights we would not otherwise have seen.
Ajaccio, island of Corsica, France
Heading out of town
Our bus took coastal route D111 westbound out of Ajaccio, and it wasn’t long before we drove past our first sight. These tombs make up Cimetière Marin d’Ajaccio (Ajaccio Marine Cemetery). Here’s a little photo gallery/slide show:
As we continued westward we hugged the coastline:
Blue water and Phare des Îles Sanguinaires (Sanguinaires Isles Lighthouse)
Over the next three weeks I’ll be showing you Ajaccio in the Corse-du-Sud (Southern Corsica) department of Corsica. Ajaccio is also the capital of the island. This was an exciting stop for us, as during our many Mediterranean voyages we had never before visited Corsica. Indeed, many of the destinations on this eight-day cruise were new to us.
Vision of the Seas approaches Golfe d’Ajaccio (Gulf of Ajaccio)
We sailed into Ajaccio at about 9:00 a.m. on 16 May 2022. As such, the lighting was excellent when I hit the deck to photograph our arrival into port.
Looking north into Ajaccio, Corsica, France
As you approach the port you’ll notice two large marinas. The marina tucked in the northwest corner of the bay is Port de Plaisance Charles Ornano (Charles Orano Pleasure Port):
Port de Plaisance Charles Ornano
The marina at the west entrance of the bay is Port Tino Rossi, and it’s just past this marina that houses the cruise terminal.
Port Tino Rossi
If you look closely at the image above you’ll see a divided tree-lined avenue with what appears to be a large crown. Beyond that crown is a large structure at the very end. That is the Grotte Napoléon, a monument to Napoléon Bonaparte. Looking west along Av. Antoine Serafini, which becomes Av. du Premier Consul, which in turn becomes Av. de Paris before transforming yet again (confused yet?) into Cr. Grandval, Cr. Général Leclerc, and finally All. de la Légion d’Honneur, you’ll get this fun view from the ship as it arrives:
Grotte Napoléon at the end of the boulevard
Three more images from our sailing into Ajaccio until Wednesday, where I’ll take you on a quick bus ride through town and to points west:
Ajaccio, island of Corsica, France
Ajaccio, island of Corsica, France
Port de Plaisance Charles Ornano, Ajaccio, Corsica
Ursula and I had earlier passed an establishment back on Quai Cronstadt that had what looked to be some very delectable pizza. Today I’m going to introduce you to what could be the best pizza we’ve ever had at a place called Manofica. The charming restaurant also gives you options to dine either inside or out, and offers up some exquisite views of Toulon Harbor and the marina just outside.
Looks good!
Some fellowVision of the Seas passengers were dining there, and they told us we were in for a treat. We were.
Ursula at Manofica
While looking at pizzas already served gave us our first clue that we were in a real pizzeria, the fire oven gave us a second:
Manofica’s fire pizza oven
If you’re in for a little imbibing, it appears Manofica has you covered there as well:
Manofica’s well-stocked bar
Time to peruse the menu:
Manofica’s menu as of 15 May 2022
Since it was just after 2:00 p.m. and dinner aboard Vision of the Seas was a mere four hours away, we opted to share a Pizze Anna. This choice gave us for di latte (a soft, very fresh mozzerella-style cheese made from cow’s milk rather than buffalo), creme de parmesan (a cream sauce made with the rinds of a parmesan), tomate cerise (cherry tomatoes), jambon cru (raw, cured ham similar to prosciutto), copeaux de parmesan (shaved parmesan), roquette (rocket, also known as arugula), basilic (basil, of course), and huile d’olive extra vierge (extra virgin olive oil). Since we asked to split one pizza, the staff at Manofica were nice enough to divide our pizza between two plates:
Manofica’s Pizze Anna
As you can see, the crust is light, airy, and perfectly blistered. The combination of toppings gave a great compliment to the crust rather than overpowering it, and avoided making the crust soggy. Here’s a view of the other half:
Incredible Manofica crust perfectly prepared with an excellent combination of toppings
Ursula proclaimed Manofica’s Pizze Anna the best pizza she has ever tasted, and I wouldn’t disagree with that assessment. It was a remarkable treat at a not unreasonable price presented in a wonderful setting with a great view of Toulon Harbor. And now it’s time to say goodbye to Toulon, take the ferry back to La Seyne-sur-Mer, and rejoin Vision of the Seas. But before we go:
Decisions — Murder in Paradise
The Globe — Murder in Luxury
R. Doug Wicker — Author 