Corte citadel, Military citadel in Corte, France

Corte citadel rises on three defensive levels from a rocky outcrop overlooking the convergence of the Tavignano and Restonica rivers. The fortress combines residential quarters, military fortifications, and storage areas within its fortified walls.

Vincentello d'Istria, count and viceroy of Corsica and vassal of Alfonso V of Aragon, built a castle on the rock above Corte in 1419 to fight the Republic of Genoa, with a crenellated wall and three towers. He ruled Corsica from Corte between 1421 and 1434. After the French conquest of 1769, the comte de Vaux had the present citadel built on Vauban's principles, the only one of Corsica's six citadels raised inland; the Padoue barracks was finished in 1776.

The castle inside the citadel has housed the Museum of Corsica since 1984, a regional museum of art, history and anthropology. The same enclosure holds the regional contemporary art fund (FRACORSE), a science and technology centre (CCSTI) and the Centru di Corsica tourist office. In April 2015 about twenty Ghjuventu Indipendentista activists occupied the site and began a hunger strike.

Walking inside the citadel requires careful footing on old stone stairs and uneven surfaces, especially in wet weather. The central hilltop location makes it straightforward to reach the historic upper town on foot and explore nearby hiking trails.

An underground passage named A Volpe connects different parts of the fortress and functioned both as a dungeon and ammunition storage. This hidden corridor allowed inhabitants to move around and store supplies without exposure to the view from above.