The Old Port

The Old Port of Bastia

The Old Port of Bastia, or U Vechju Portu in Corsican, is an iconic historic district of the city. Formerly known as Terra Vechja, in contrast to Terra Nova (the Citadel), it predates the construction of the latter.

Once a working-class neighborhood, the Old Port is now a popular spot for tourists as well as bar and restaurant owners. Nevertheless, it retains its picturesque and authentic charm.

The Old Port of Bastia is situated in a small natural cove at the foot of the Tragone promontory, where the Citadel stands.

The southern shore of the Old Port is called U Puntettu. This area serves as the link between the upper and lower parts of Bastia.

It is difficult to pinpoint the exact date of the Old Port’s creation. The only available information refers to the founding of the Castello della Bastia by the Genoese in 1380. At that time, the Old Port was a small fishermen’s marina known as Portu Cardu.

For the people of Bastia, A Marina refers to the area in front of Saint John’s Church. Now a parking lot, this spot was once a sandy beach where fishermen stored their boats. It was around this site that Portu Cardu was located. There were a few warehouses and fishermen’s huts. It wasn’t really a village, but rather a marina serving the inhabitants of the village of Cardu, located in the heights above Bastia. On the southern side of the Citadel promontory, there was another marina called Portu Vechju. This one belonged to another village in the heights of Bastia, Belgudè, which stretched around the current Monserratu fort, still visible today.

With the Genoese settlement at the Citadel in 1380, the Old Port began to develop. A century after the construction of the first castle, known as Il Fortino or Castello della Bastia, the upper town, Terra Nova, grew with the construction of about twenty houses. The lower town, Terra Vechja, also benefited from this development. Bastia became the residence of the Genoese governors, who had previously been based at the Biguglia castle. The Genoese needed a fortification close to the sea to control maritime trade and quickly obtain military reinforcements if necessary. It was at this point that the small marina of Portu Cardu began to transform into a proper port capable of accommodating larger vessels. The northern quay, named A Sanità, was the first to be developed.

It wasn’t until the late 17th century that the small marina of Portu Cardu fully evolved into a true port. In 1670, the Genoese began constructing a jetty designed to accommodate more boats. This jetty is known as the Genoese Mole, or Molu à a Madunnetta, in reference to the statue of the Virgin placed in a recess of the jetty wall.

The southern jetty of the Old Port was built much later than the Genoese Mole, with its completion occurring in 1863. It was also during this period that the large Lion Rock, located at the foot of the Romieu garden and obstructing boat traffic in the port, was demolished.

It was at this time that the southern quay, now called the Albert Gillio Quay, was developed. Previously, this area was merely a pile of rocks. The Dragon Jetty derives its name from a distortion of the Corsican term tragone, meaning ravine. U Tragone was the name of the rocky promontory overlooking the Old Port, on which the Citadel’s ramparts were erected.