Malaga to Nice

Quand les Maures passèrent de lAfrique à lAndalousie en 714, ils devaient établir un royaume qui allait devenir la gloire du Moyen Age. Le palais forteresse de lAlcazaba de Malaga et le Castillo de Gibralfaro sont de magnifiques exemples de larchitecture mauresque. Mais cest à Grenade que vous pouvez voir lexpression la plus romantique et magnifique du style arabesque dans le glorieux palais de lAlhambra. Ferdinand et Isabella ont vécu ici pendant un certain temps, tout comme Washington Irving, auteur de Contes de lAlhambra.

The port city of Valencia lies on Spain’s southeastern coast, where the Turia River meets the Mediterranean Sea. It’s known for its City of Arts and Sciences, with futuristic structures including a planetarium, an oceanarium and an interactive museum. Valencia also has several beaches, including some within nearby Albufera Park, a wetlands reserve with a lake and walking trails.

Palma is a resort city and capital of the Spanish island of Mallorca (Majorca), in the western Mediterranean. The massive Santa María cathedral, a Gothic landmark begun in the 13th century, overlooks the Bay of Palma. The adjacent Almudaina is a Moorish-style Arab fortress converted to a royal residence. West of the city, hilltop Bellver Castle is a medieval fortress with a distinctive circular shape.

Vous comprendrez pourquoi Lord Nelson choisit cet endroit comme base pour la flotte britannique en Méditerranée pendant les guerres napoléoniennes. Imaginez des dizaines de vaisseaux de ligne, étant équipés pour le combat dans ce port historique. Les rappels de lépoque sont encore visibles dans les gracieux bâtiments géorgiens qui grimpent les collines escarpées soutenant le Ponent Moll. Lhéritage de Mahon comprend également linvention de la mayonnaise et la première distillation de genièvre des baies de genièvre.

Ajaccio is the capital of Corsica, a French island in the Mediterranean Sea. A port city on the rugged isles western coast, it was the birthplace of French Emperor Napoléon Bonaparte in 1769. His ancestral home, Maison Bonaparte, is now a museum displaying family heirlooms. The baroque, 16th-century Notre-Dame Cathedral, where Napoléon was baptized, contains paintings by Delacroix and Tintoretto.

Calvi is a town on the northwest coast of Corsica. Its known for its beaches and crescent-shaped bay. A medieval citadel overlooks the marina from the bays western end, and is home to Baroque St-Jean-Baptiste Cathedral and cobbled streets. Restaurants line the harbor on the Quai Landry esplanade. Perched on a high hill a short distance inland, the chapel of Notre-Dame de la Serra has panoramic views of the area