The most beautiful B&B in Corsica

Yesterday we drove from Bonifacio along the southwest coast of Corsica and into the interior mountains. Following a chain of ever-smaller villages and increasingly twisty roads, we arrived at Campo (or Campu in Corsican). The most prominent building in the village is Châtelet de Campo (www.chatelet-de-campo.com), a maison d'hôtes (bed & breakfast) owned by Elisabeth and Dominique Herzet, Belgians who fled city life for the pure air and water and the peace of a quiet mountain village.

The house was build by a Corsican who went to Panama and made a fortune as a contractor involved in the construction of the Panama Canal. He returned to Corsica and built this magnificent mansion to show off his success. There are many of these rags-to-riches show-off houses in Corsica where they are known as "Maisons des Américains". The Châtelet de Campo house is audacious to be sure (it overlooks the village church) but respects the local architecture, constructed of quarried granite blocks, and is beautifully designed for its site with a magnificent view from every window.

The house had been more or less abandoned for 30 years when the Herzets found it. They had to track down nine descendants and negotiate with all of them before they could buy the house - an ordeal that took three years. Then followed seven years of renovation which they did almost entirely by themselves for the usual reasons - to save a fortune and to make sure work is done properly. Wandering the halls of this stately home, it's no exaggeration to say that the Herzets loved the house back to life. I doubt there's a more beautiful Châtelet in all of Corsica. Good call, Sharon, for finding Châtelet de Campo and thanks Elisabeth and Dominique for the good company.