Palombaggia, White sand beach in Porto-Vecchio, France

Palombaggia is a sandy beach near Porto-Vecchio stretching about 1.5 kilometers along the coast, backed by red granite outcrops and umbrella pine forests. The water is shallow and clear, making it easy to wade and swim in different spots along the shoreline.

Palombaggia forms the southeast coast of the Monte del Cerchio peninsula, which stayed wild well after malaria was eradicated from the region in the 1940s. Reached only by a narrow vicinal road, it was then a haunt of hunters and early wild campers. Water, electricity and telephone arrived in the 1970s, and thousands of bungalows and villas covered the hills, helped by the opening of Figari airport 28 km away. The Conservatoire du littoral now owns 18 hectares behind the beach.

The name Palombaggia may come from palombes, wood pigeons once hunted here; old maps marked only the ponds of "Palombajo". Until the 1970s the place was a haunt of hunters and early wild campers, reached by a narrow vicinal road. The Belgian king had a country house on a hilltop overlooking the sea and spent much of his free time here before his marriage to Fabiola.

Palombaggia is reached by a narrow vicinal road from Porto-Vecchio, and the Figari airport lies 28 km away. The Conservatoire du littoral owns 18 hectares behind the beach, so the treeline at the back of the sand stays free of buildings. Come early in summer, when the sand fills with people and the road gets congested.

The beach actually divides into three distinct sections, each with a different character from amenity-filled zones to completely undeveloped natural areas. Many visitors only see the busy middle section and miss the quieter ends where the shoreline feels far more secluded.