Les Haut de Porto-Vecchio

The welcoming committee

We booked our hotel on the web. Just after we arrived I heard the sound of animal bells and knew it was exactly the right place for us -- below our cabin perched high above the Corsican town of Porto Vecchio a dozen sheep were grazing.

Our greeters scatter

When I went in for a closeup, our greeters scattered.

Our cabin 

In Corsica big boulders are everywhere

The view from our cabin perch

Unspoiled Coast of Corsica

Northwest Coast of Corsica

Corsica is, by intent of the locals, a largely undeveloped island. There are many stretches of dramatic seacoast available for all to see and enjoy.

Marine De Ficajola, near Piana

Western Coast, near Cargese

Western Coast, near Cargese

Western Coast, near Cargoes

Southeastern Coast, looking towards Punta di a Chiappa

The beaches on the Southern coast are pretty spectacular too!

Plage de Cateraggio

Corsica, A Chunk of the Alps Tossed into the Mediterranean

Les Calanches region of Corsica

Many of the rocks are rounded by eons of weathering

Corsica was described to me as a "chunk of the Alps that was tossed into the Mediterranean." The island is solid granite, and this geological phenomenon is nowhere more beautifully seen than a stretch on the western coast known as "Les Calanches." Towers and sheer cliffs 1,300 feet high rise from the sea, a soft ochre or a bright orange, depending on what time of day you encounter them.

Profiles emerge from weathered rock formations

It makes for an interesting and memorable drive!

The True Source of Artistic Vision

 Picasso saw possibilities?

 The inspiration for Jaws?

Michelangelo sketching the Sistine Chapel? 

Is Nature the true source of inspiration in modern art (Picasso et al) modern entertainment (Jaws) and even looking back to the Renaissance and the power conveyed by gesture (Michelangelo) or is it the personal vision of the artist?