The military and administrative core of old Bastia, Terra Nova (or the citadel) has a distinct air of affluence, its lofty apartments now colonized by Bastia's yuppies. The area is focused on place du Donjon , which gets its name from the squat round tower that formed the nucleus of Bastia's fortifications and was used by the Genoese to incarcerate Corsican patriots - Sampiero Corso was held in the dungeon for four years in the early sixteenth century. Next to the tower, the strategically placed Bar de la Citadelle commands a magnificent view that extends to Elba on a clear day.
Back in place du Donjon, if you cross the square and follow rue Notre-Dame you'll come out at the church of Ste-Marie . Built in 1458 and overhauled in the seventeenth century, it was the cathedral of Bastia until 1801, when the bishopric was transferred to Ajaccio. The over-restored facade is an ugly shade of peach, and there's nothing of interest inside except a small silver statue of the Virgin. Virtually next door, in rue de l'Evêché, stands the Oratoire Ste-Croix , a sixteenth-century church decorated in Louis XV style, all rich blue paint and gilt scrollwork. It houses another holy item, the Christ des Miracles , a blackened oak crucifix which in 1428 was discovered floating in the sea surrounded by a luminous haze. Beyond the church, the narrow streets open out onto the tiny place Guasco , a delightful square at the heart of the citadel that typifies the exclusivity of Terra Nova. A few benches offer the chance of a rest before descending into the fray.
Facing the bar is the impressive fourteenth-century Palais des Gouverneurs . With its great round tower, arcaded courtyard and pristine peach-coloured paintwork, this building has a distinctly Moorish feel and was built for the governor and local bishop during the town's Genoese heyday. When the French transferred the capital to Ajaccio it became a prison, then was destroyed during the British attack of 1794 (in which an ambitious young captain named Horatio Nelson played a decisive part). The subsequent rebuilding was not the last, as parts of it were blown up by the Americans in 1943, and today the restorers are trying to regain something of the building's former grandeur. Part of the palace is given over to the Musée d'Éthnographie (daily: June-Aug 9am-6.30pm; Sept-May 9am-noon & 2-6pm;
€2.74), which presents the history of Corsica from prehistoric times to the present day. Its vaulted chambers contain some fascinating historical titbits, including a diminutive Roman sarcophagus decorated with hunting scenes, busts of famous Corsicans and an original 1755 Flag of Independence, with its distinctive Moorish emblem.
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