A Casa Reale

More than 300 years of history are encapsulated in the Casa, during which it’s brushed up against momentous points of Corsica’s past. The De Battisti family built it in 1700 for a staggering 30,000 lira; in 1748, commander of Louis XV’s French expeditionary force the Marquis de Cursay moved in to build the first printing house on the island, printing Corsica’s first constitution; in 1764, the Count de Marbeuf took residence and became godfather to a burgeoning military star – a certain Napoleon Bonaparte – who stayed overnight here in 1778 before leaving his home island for the first time. In 1794, when the Anglo-Corsican kingdom was established, its viceroy Sir Gilbert Elliot made it a happy home where he and his wife threw military band recitals and dances on the terrace; and in the 19th century it became Hôtel de l'Europe, run by chef François Tellier, where the likes of Gustave Flaubert and Prosper Mérimée dined and the Duke of Orléans attended lavish balls.

The steam baths of the 19th-century hotel may be gone, but spa spoiling (massages, facials and beauty treatments) can be taken in your room on request.