Casa di Cristoforo Colombo, Historic house ruins in Calvi, Haute-Corse, France

Casa di Cristoforo Colombo is a ruin in Calvi, Corsica: only a few vestiges remain of the presumed birthplace of the navigator, in the Carruggio del Filo, later called Carruggio Colombo. The surviving masonry is built of irregular tan, grey and reddish stone and brick blocks, with a rectangular opening closed by a black iron grille gate at the base; a small black plaque and an orange pipe sit beside it, succulents and shrubs grow behind the wall, and a curved white flagpole stands in front.

The house's construction date is unknown, possibly the 15th century. It may have been destroyed by the British during the siege of Calvi in June 1793, as it stood near a powder magazine; two Calvi residents who took part in the siege, Jean Sanguinetti and Joseph Mastagli, recalled the incident to abbot Casanova. A decree of 6 August 1882 by the French government backed the claim that Columbus was born here in 1441.

The house stands in the Carruggio del Filo, the alley later renamed Carruggio Colombo, where a family named Colombo is recorded in Calvi notarial acts of 1530, 1570, 1738 and 1784. Abbé Casanova reported that this family lived here, and the claim that the navigator was born in the citadel in 1441 was backed by the French decree of 6 August 1882 authorising a statue to him in Calvi.

The ruins stand in the Carruggio Colombo, the alley of Calvi's citadel that was renamed after the navigator; the lane is pedestrian and paved, with steps and uneven ground. The site is a short walk uphill from the lower town and harbour, and only fragments of the house remain, so it is viewed from outside.

In 1882, locals polished the arch found inside the ruins and read reliefs there as Columbus's coat of arms; on the night of 13–14 July 1884, during preparations for the French national holiday, three Italians destroyed the sculpted arch and escaped by boat from a deserted beach.