The mythical port of Bonifacio |
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Collection title
Mythical ports of the Mediterranean
First broadcast date
2009
Abstract
Located at the southern tip of Corsica facing the Sardinian port of Santa Teresa di Gallura
, Bonifacio keeps an eye on the Strait of Bonifacio, named after the town..
In this Genoese citadel, the view is breathtaking and the the town unassailable: its people ensure the inviolability of the port and walls that have stood Ulysses and the king of Aragon.
Production companies
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COPEAM - Coproduction
- France Bleu Frequenza Mora - Coproduction
Primary theme
Main harbours
Credits / Cast
- Mari Pierre - Journalist
- Brunini Jean-Pierre - Journalist
Map locations
- France - Corsica - Bonifacio
Context
The mythical port of Bonifacio
Gilbert Buti
Situated on the southern extremity of Corsica, Bonifacio was not, despite an enduring legend, founded in 828 AD by a certain Boniface, Marquis of Tuscany. Indeed it is in a region which has been inhabited by humans since the 7th century BC, and the port has definitely been used regularly at least since the 10th century AD, its strategic position being of great interest to the sea powers fighting for control of the western Mediterranean. The town, built on impressive chalk cliffs and surrounded by walls, over-looks the Bouches, the Strait of Bonifacio, a 12 kilometre channel separating Corsica from Sardinia, feared for the violence of its winds and powerful currents. The terrible tempest which followed Ulysses' opening the leather bag containing all the winds of the world took place precisely in this bottleneck. Nestled at the bottom of a narrow fjord-like ravine, the port of Bonifacio guaranteed control of all comings and goings between the western basin of the Mediterranean and the Tyrrhenian Sea. The Pisans, who occupied the place in the 10th century, perhaps even earlier, were driven out by the Genoese. They established a colony of 1,200 people from Liguria and stayed until 1768. The city, known as "the first rampart of Genoa" (A-L Serpenti), defended Genoa's interests by guaranteeing a link with agricultural Sardinia until the 18th century; despite that from the Middle Ages it developed its own commercial activities associated with corsaires or pirates. Bonifacio, an important player in Genoa's strategy in Corsica and more widely in the western Mediterranean, quite naturally came under fire from all Genoa's enemies. In 1420 it managed to repulse the King of Aragon's siege and although the town received Charles Fifth's fleet in 1541 during his expedition to Algiers, in 1553 it had to bow to the Franco-Turks led by Dragut, allies of the Corsicans behind Sampiero Corso at the service of the French king, Henri II.
These difficulties contributed to the awareness that Bonifacio was something very special in Corsica; having to transfer allegiance to France in 1768 was a terrible blow, the inhabitants feeling abandonned if not betrayed by Genoa. The trauma was as much economic and cultural as political. Bonifacio was now separated from the maritime routes used by its new governor; it was suddenly marginalised by the new and distant rulers. The fact Bonifacio received a convoy from the Egypt expedition (1798) or that its sailors maintained good relations with Sardinia through smuggling should not deceive us: Bonifacio lost its importance, a period of quiet withdrawal disturbed in 1855 by the wreck of the Sémillante. The imperial frigate carrying troops bound for the Crimea, was smashed on the rocks as it tried to pass through the Strait of Bonifacio, leading to the deaths of around 750 soldiers and crew.
The sleeping beauty awoke in the 20th century with the development of tourism and the sudden appreciation of its rich natural and historic heritage. All the same, in this town of more than 3,000 inhabitants there are many angry voices raised against turning their beautiful coast into a holiday resort, and against the sudden intrusion of outsiders. The strength of the voices reminds us, in perhaps a surprising way, of the people of Bonifacio's successful resistance to previous foreign threats – from Ulysses to the King of Aragon.
Bibliography:
Antoine-Laurent Serpentini, Bonifacio, une ville génoise aux Temps Modernes, Ajaccio, 1995.
Antoine-Laurent Serpentini (sous direction), Dictionnaire historique de la Corse, Ajaccio, Albiana, 2006.
Michel Vergé-Franceschi, Histoire de Corse, Paris, Éditions du Félin, 1996.
On the wreck of the Sémillante one of the Lettres de mon moulin which Alphonse Daudet wrote about "The Dying Moments of the Sémillante" can be read, but with circumspection.
