Craggy calanques, red rock formations, coastal road, Calanques de Piana, Corsica

Craggy calanques

Calanque' translates from French to 'rocky inlet' and this rugged place seems like it may have more calanques per square mile than anywhere else on Earth. The French island of Corsica lies in the Mediterranean Sea south of mainland France, and is renowned for its food, wine, and impossibly scenic coastlines. The entire island is a feast for the senses, but the heart of its beauty may well be what we see here in our image—the Calanques de Piana. Deep ravines cut into the rocky peninsula are filled with seawater from the Gulf of Porto in some places, or dusted with green scrubland plants clinging to golden-red rocks in others.