Calvi, Haute-Corse
Calvi (/ˈkælviː/; French: [kalvi]; Italian: [ˈkalvi]; Corsican: [ˈkalvi]) is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica.
Calvi | |
|---|---|
Subprefecture and commune | |
 View of the citadel | |
 Flag .svg.png.webp) Coat of arms | |
Location of Calvi  | |
  Calvi  Calvi | |
| Coordinates: 42°34′07″N 8°45′25″E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Corsica |
| Department | Haute-Corse |
| Arrondissement | Calvi |
| Canton | Calvi |
| Intercommunality | Calvi Balagne |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2026) | Ange Santini[1] |
| Area 1 | 31.20 km2 (12.05 sq mi) |
| Population | 5,774 |
| • Density | 190/km2 (480/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 2B050 /20260 |
| Elevation | 0–700 m (0–2,297 ft) (avg. 81 m or 266 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
It is the seat of the Canton of Calvi, which contains Calvi and one other commune, Lumio. Calvi is also the capital of the Arrondissement of Calvi, which contains, besides the Canton of Calvi, three other cantons: L'Île-Rousse, Belgodère, and Calenzana.[3] According to legend, Christopher Columbus supposedly came from Calvi, which at the time was part of the Genoese Empire. Because the often subversive elements of the island gave its inhabitants a bad reputation, he would have been expected to mask his exact birthplace.
Geography
Calvi is located on the northwest coast of the island of Corsica, 95 km (59 mi) from Bastia and 24 km (15 mi) from L'Île-Rousse. It is the fifth-largest commune in Corsica; however, the arrondissement is the smallest.
Climate
| Climate data for Calvi, Haute-Corse (1981–2010 averages, extremes 1960–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 23.3 (73.9) |
22.5 (72.5) |
28.8 (83.8) |
32.1 (89.8) |
36.0 (96.8) |
39.2 (102.6) |
42.1 (107.8) |
40.6 (105.1) |
37.4 (99.3) |
32.9 (91.2) |
29.8 (85.6) |
25.4 (77.7) |
42.1 (107.8) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 13.6 (56.5) |
13.9 (57.0) |
15.9 (60.6) |
18.4 (65.1) |
22.7 (72.9) |
26.5 (79.7) |
29.8 (85.6) |
29.7 (85.5) |
26.1 (79.0) |
22.2 (72.0) |
17.5 (63.5) |
14.6 (58.3) |
20.9 (69.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 9.2 (48.6) |
9.2 (48.6) |
11.2 (52.2) |
13.5 (56.3) |
17.4 (63.3) |
21.2 (70.2) |
24.2 (75.6) |
24.3 (75.7) |
21.0 (69.8) |
17.5 (63.5) |
13.2 (55.8) |
10.3 (50.5) |
16.1 (61.0) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 4.8 (40.6) |
4.6 (40.3) |
6.5 (43.7) |
8.6 (47.5) |
12.2 (54.0) |
15.9 (60.6) |
18.6 (65.5) |
18.9 (66.0) |
16.0 (60.8) |
12.9 (55.2) |
8.9 (48.0) |
6.1 (43.0) |
11.2 (52.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −5.6 (21.9) |
−3.9 (25.0) |
−4.6 (23.7) |
−0.4 (31.3) |
3.7 (38.7) |
7.5 (45.5) |
10.6 (51.1) |
12.3 (54.1) |
7.9 (46.2) |
2.6 (36.7) |
−2.3 (27.9) |
−4.2 (24.4) |
−5.6 (21.9) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 56.2 (2.21) |
44.5 (1.75) |
57.2 (2.25) |
69.4 (2.73) |
41.2 (1.62) |
35.5 (1.40) |
8.4 (0.33) |
27.1 (1.07) |
61.2 (2.41) |
79.8 (3.14) |
109.9 (4.33) |
77.9 (3.07) |
668.3 (26.31) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 6.0 | 5.5 | 6.2 | 7.2 | 5.1 | 3.2 | 1.0 | 1.9 | 5.3 | 7.1 | 8.6 | 8.1 | 65.1 |
| Average snowy days | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 1.6 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 135.6 | 155.5 | 206.5 | 233.0 | 290.0 | 324.5 | 370.1 | 323.2 | 243.7 | 182.5 | 130.6 | 118.3 | 2,713.4 |
| Source: Meteo France[4] | |||||||||||||
History
Calvi was founded in the 13th century.[5] Its motto, "Calvi semper fidelis" ("Calvi Always Faithful"), referred originally to its loyalty to the Republic of Genoa, which instated there a closed city centre (préside) in 1278, and built a new castle in 1491 to face new artillery technologies.[6] The motto originates from 1553 when Calvi repulsed two attacks by the French and Turks,[5] aided by Corsican exiles.
During the war with Revolutionary France, British forces under Admiral Nelson and Lieutenant-General Charles Stuart captured the city in the Siege of Calvi in 1794. It was during the bombardment of Calvi that Nelson sustained the injury that cost him his eye. The town was retaken by Corsicans the following year.[5]
Population
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 1,162 | — |
| 1806 | 1,083 | −6.8% |
| 1821 | 1,175 | +8.5% |
| 1831 | 1,382 | +17.6% |
| 1836 | 1,457 | +5.4% |
| 1841 | 1,746 | +19.8% |
| 1846 | 1,502 | −14.0% |
| 1851 | 1,837 | +22.3% |
| 1856 | 1,412 | −23.1% |
| 1861 | 2,069 | +46.5% |
| 1866 | 1,884 | −8.9% |
| 1872 | 2,175 | +15.4% |
| 1876 | 1,998 | −8.1% |
| 1881 | 2,023 | +1.3% |
| 1886 | 1,987 | −1.8% |
| 1891 | 2,162 | +8.8% |
| 1896 | 2,132 | −1.4% |
| 1901 | 1,998 | −6.3% |
| 1906 | 2,077 | +4.0% |
| 1911 | 2,269 | +9.2% |
| 1921 | 2,387 | +5.2% |
| 1926 | 2,586 | +8.3% |
| 1931 | 2,827 | +9.3% |
| 1936 | 2,824 | −0.1% |
| 1946 | 2,053 | −27.3% |
| 1954 | 2,035 | −0.9% |
| 1962 | 2,258 | +11.0% |
| 1968 | 2,767 | +22.5% |
| 1975 | 3,530 | +27.6% |
| 1982 | 3,579 | +1.4% |
| 1990 | 4,815 | +34.5% |
| 1999 | 5,177 | +7.5% |
| 2006 | 5,409 | +4.5% |
| 2016 | 5,524 | +2.1% |
Economy
The economy of Calvi is essentially based on summer tourism, which started in 1950 due to the pioneering efforts of Vladimir Raitz.
Transport
Calvi is served by the international Calvi - Sainte-Catherine Airport, the Xavier Colonna Port, and a metre-gauge railway line to L'Île-Rousse and Ponte-Leccia, connecting with the standard gauge main line Ajaccio - Bastia.
Monuments
- Tour du Sel and the citadel
- Église Sainte-Marie de Calvi
References
- "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
- "Populations légales 2019". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 29 December 2021.
- "France, le trésor des régions: Département: Haute-Corse" (in French). Retrieved 2008-05-06..
- "Calvi (20)" (PDF). Fiche Climatologique: Statistiques 1981–2010 et records (in French). Meteo France. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
- One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Calvi". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 5 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 70–71.
- Catherine Herrgott (2013-12-15). "Les citadelles urbaines en Corse : patrimonialisation d'un territoire particulier". Études caribéennes (in French) (26). doi:10.4000/etudescaribeennes.6714. Retrieved 2017-05-16.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Calvi. |
 |
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Calvi. |
- Official website (in French)
The port citadel viewed from the port
The port, panoramic view from the Citadel
Calvi panorama
Calvi viewed from the sea
