France Guide
Corsica
Place Foch
Once the site of the town's medieval gate, place Foch lies at the heart of old Ajaccio. A delightfully shady square sloping down to the sea, it gets its local name – place des Palmiers – from the row of palms bordering the central strip. Dominating the top end, a fountain of four marble lions provides a mount for the inevitable statue of Napoleon.
At the northern end of place Foch stands the Hôtel de Ville of 1826. Its first-floor is given over to the Salon Napoléonien (mid-June to mid-Sept Mon– Sat 9–11.45am & 2–5.45pm; mid-Sept to mid-June Mon– Fri 9–11.45am & 2–4.45pm; €2.80), which contains a replica of the ex-emperor's death mask, along with a solemn array of Bonaparte family portraits and busts. A smaller medal room has a fragment from Napoleon's coffin and part of his dressing case, plus a model of the ship that brought his body back from St Helena.