The Palais Fesch: Ajaccio’s fine art museum

The Palais Fesch is situated at the heart of Ajaccio, an imposing and majestic Museum of Fine Arts.

Renovated a few years ago for the greater comfort of visitors, the Palais Fesch – a designated Musée de France – unites three major collections: Italian painting, Corsican painting and the Napoleonic collection. It’s best known and recognised for its Italian collection, the largest after the Louvre.

We were joined by a tour guide from the tourist office, Pierre André, who was passionate about Napoleon and Corsican history in general. After a brief reminder of who Cardinal Fesch was, we were led through the museum to uncover its secrets. Our group listened with great interest to the history of the paintings and artists who contributed to the museum’s reputation: Botticelli, Michelangelo, Titian and many others. The children present that day seemed almost hypnotised by Pierre André.

A fun and informative visit. If you have time afterwards, make for the south wing of the museum to visit the Imperial Chapel, or the north wing and the library.