Corsica The East coast

Proceeding toward east after Bastia a long series of sandy and plain beaches begins, lying between Lido della Marana and Aleria, which is the first point of interest in this leg of coast. In Aleria one can visit the Etruscan site of Alalia, with Etruscan, Greek and Roman testimonies.
The remains discovered in the area are kept in the nearby Musée Départemental d'Archéologie Jérôme Carcopino which is hosted inside the beautiful XV century Genoese fortress of Matra.

North of Aleria lies the Pond of Diana,with a tower placed at the entrance. In the adjacent Île de Santa Maria stand a chapel and the ruins of a dock of the ancient Roman port, a port which 200 years before was crowded with Roman vessels, going to and fro to supply Rome with the precious oysters of the lagoon.
Today oysters till represent a local specialty, and some restaurants offer good menus with oysters and other shell-fish: another good reason to stop in this suggestive territory, where archaeology, nature and relax perfectly mix up.

To find some paradise beaches you need to move towardÎle de Pinarellu,actually a peninsula, which divides two sandy beaches from the crystalline sea. In direction of Porto Vecchio there are numerous other beaches: Baia di San Ciprianu, lCala Rossa and Baia di Stagnolu, always a bit too crowded in summer due to their vicinity with Porto Vecchio.

Finally, the beaches of Palombaggia and Santa Giulia.

Musée départemental d'Archéologie Jérôme Carcopino, Fort Matra:

Summer opening hours (from 16th May to 30th September):
All days from 8.00 am to 12.00 am, and from 14.00 pm to 19.00 pm

Winter opening hours (from 1st October to 15th May):
Monday to Saturday from 9.00 am to 12.00 am and from 14.00 pm to 17.00 pm

Ticket:
full € 10,00; discounted: € 5,00 [reserved to students, groups of minimum 10 persons, school groups, children until the age of 10]