Plage de Nonza, Black pebble beach in Cap Corse, France

Plage de Nonza lies at the foot of Nonza in Cap Corse, not near Bastia. It is a broad, flat bank of small dark grey and black rounded pebbles, widest at the lower right and narrowing as it curves left to a white line of surf. Behind the stones, dry grass and scrub mark the base of the hillside.

The beach's dark color comes from mining waste transported by sea currents from a former asbestos quarry in nearby Canari. This industrial process fundamentally reshaped the coastline over decades.

The beach lies below the village of Nonza, on Corsica's eastern side, about 900 km from Paris. Its dark grey and black pebbles are bordered by dry grass and scrub where the shore meets the hillside. The site is a named beach of the commune, and the climate is mild, with July averaging 24 °C and January 6 °C.

A designated path leads down to the beach from Nonza village, though the descent can be steep and requires careful footing. Swimmers should be cautious, as strong Mediterranean currents can make swimming risky.

The beach did not exist in its current form before mining operations – historical postcards show only cliffs meeting the sea directly. What visitors see today is an entirely human-made landscape created by industrial processes.