Cargèse has two churches facing each other across a small valley, one Roman Catholic and one Greek Orthodox, and that tells you almost everything about the town. In 1676, a group of Greek families from the Mani peninsula in the Peloponnese, fleeing Ottoman rule, were given land on this stretch of the Corsican coast by the Republic of Genoa. They built their village, held to their rite and language for generations, and for a long time the Greeks and the Corsicans lived side by side without mixing. The two churches, one Latin and one Greek, stand on either side of the village, and the Greek church, with its icons and painted interior, is a delight.
The town sits on a small headland above the sea, on Corsica's west coast, north of Ajaccio and south of the great red cliffs of Piana. It has a population of about a thousand, a handful of cafes, a few restaurants, a pretty harbour and a long view across the Gulf of Sagone. Behind it rise the maquis-covered hills, thick with myrtle, rock rose and wild lavender, whose smell, on a warm evening, is a thing of wonder. A Genoese tower, built to watch for raiders, stands on the headland nearby.
The D81, which runs north from here toward Piana, Porto and the Calanques, is among the greatest coast roads in Europe. It twists above the sea, with the red granite cliffs of the Calanques plunging down to blue water, tunnels cut into the rock and views at every bend. The surface is generally good, but the road is narrow and winding, with sheer drops and few barriers, and in summer it is clogged with tour buses and campervans. Leave early, or ride in May or September when the light is clearer and the traffic lighter.
Be prepared for the Corsican weather, which can shift quickly, and for the wind, which on the exposed sections can push a loaded bike off line. In summer, wildfire is a risk and the maquis is tinder dry, so no smoking at the roadside.
Fuel is the thing to plan. Cargèse is a small place, so fill up in Ajaccio, around twenty-seven kilometres south, or check whether the local station is open, and do not run low before the long stretch to Porto. There are plenty of places to eat, and grilled fish with a chilled glass of local rosé is the thing to order.