Falaises de Bonifacio et escalier du roi d'Aragon

Bonifacio

At Bonifacio, the old town stands on a limestone cliff that plunges into the sea. In this wall, a staircase of 187 or 189 uneven steps descends to the shore, over about 65 m, on a slope of 45 degrees. The legend tells that in 1420 the soldiers of King Alfonso V of Aragon, who were besieging the town, cut it by hand in a single night in order to climb up to the assault. Women of the garrison, on patrol, are said to have heard the noise and raised the alarm: the attack failed. According to Visit Corsica, the staircase was in fact dug to fetch water from the puits Saint-Barthélemy, a freshwater spring at the foot of the cliff; the well is no longer used and the cave that houses it is closed. Another page specifies that the Aragonese never used it and that the inhabitants and Franciscan monks used it to reach this spring, very useful during sieges. A website of curiosities even suggests that the first steps might go back to the Neolithic: this is a supposition, with no proof given. The exact number of steps and the age of the staircase therefore remain uncertain. Today it is a historic monument, which one descends wearing a helmet.

Getting there: Paying visit by reservation (Bonifacio tourist office). Open from 2 February to 15 November; closed in strong wind. Closed shoes compulsory, helmet provided; not recommended in case of knee or heart problems. Start in the citadel, on the sea side, near the church of Saint-Dominique. The price (€5) and hours come from an unofficial page and may have changed. Coordinates: staircase in OpenStreetMap.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound