Welcome to Ajaccio, Corsica, France
Ajaccio is a city and commune of France as well as the Capital of Corse-du-Sud. It is located on the west coast of the island of Corsica. It occupies a sheltered position at the foot of wooded hills on the northern shore of the Gulf of Ajaccio. The harbor lies to the east of the town and is protected on the south by a peninsula. The present town of Ajaccio lies about two miles (three kilometers) to the south of its original site, from which it was transferred by the Genoese in 1492. Occupied from 1553 to 1559 by the French, it again fell to the Genoese after the Treaty of Cateau-Cambrosis in the latter year. The town finally passed to the French in 1768. The peninsula carries the citadel and terminates in the Citadel jetty. To the southwest of this peninsula lies the Place Bonaparte, a quarter frequented chiefly by winter visitors attracted by the mild climate of the town. Apart from one or two fine thoroughfares converging on the Place Bonaparte, the streets are mean and narrow and the town has a deserted appearance. The house in which Napoleon I was born in 1769 is preserved, and street-names and statues everywhere emphasize his associations with the town. Ajaccio has a small manufacturing economy of cigars, macaroni, and similar products, and carries on shipbuilding, sardine-fishing and coral-fishing. Its exports include timber, citrons, skins, chestnuts and gallic acid.
Customs in France
• Although time is more relaxed than in America, be as punctual as possible.
• Negotiations may be formal and reserved rather than casual.
• Handshaking is the customary greeting and women usually initiate them.
• Do not crew gum in public.
Late History of Corsica
In World War II, Corsica was occupied by Italian and German troops. Late in 1943 the population revolted, and, joined by a Free French task force, drove Axis forces out. A postwar population exodus caused the French government to announce a program of economic development. In 1958 a right-wing coup, similar to that in Algeria, contributed to the return to power in France of Charles de Gaulle. In 2001, France’s parliament voted to give the island’s regional parliament power to amend some national legislation and regulations and to permit the Corsican language to be taught in schools, but the amending of national laws by regional parliaments was declared unconstitutional.
France’s Namesake
The name France comes from Medieval Latin Francia, which literally means land of the Franks. At the Treaty of Verdun in 843, the Frankish Empire was divided in three parts, and eventually only two: Francia Occidentalis (Western Frankland) and Francia Orientalis (Eastern Frankland). The rulers of Francia Orientalis, who soon claimed the imperial title and wanted to reunify the Frankish Empire, called their realm the Holy Roman Empire. The kings of Francia Occidentalis successfully opposed this claim, and managed to preserve Francia Occidentalis as an independent kingdom, distinct from the Holy Roman Empire. The Battle of Bouvines in 1214 marked the end of the efforts by the Holy Roman Empire to reunify the old Frankish Empire by conquering France. Since the name Francia Orientalis had disappeared, there arose the habit to refer to it as Francia only, from which the word France is derived.
posted by Hills @ 2:26 PM
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