Editing Bastia (section)

===Modern times===
[[File:CitadelleBastia.jpg|thumb|The citadel, built by the Genoese]]
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the [[Franciscans]] settled in the Pieve of Orto.

At the beginning of the 16th century, Monseigneur Agostino [[Giustiniani]], Bishop of Nebbio, described in his ''Dialogo nominato Corsica'':

:"[...] The pieve of [[Orto, Corse-du-Sud|Orto]] is almost ruined; it contains 340 [[feu fiscal|fires]]. In this piève is Biguglia with a convent of [[Friars Minor]] [...]. With Biguglia there are still these pièves: Furiani, Belgodere, Soverta, La Vetrice, and Corbaia; nowadays, all these villages have almost disappeared."

–  Agostino Giustiniani in ''Description of Corsica'', translation by Lucien Auguste Letteron in ''History of Corsica'', Bulletin of the Society for Historical and Natural Sciences of Corsica – Volume I – 1888, p.&nbsp;50. {{in lang|fr}}

Continuing, he writes:

:"It is in this piève Bastia lies, home to the Bishop and Governor of Corsica. Before the last war this city had 700 houses divided into two districts: Terranova and Terravecchia. There was formerly in this place a castle or tower, or rather a fortress of the kind called on the continent ''Bastie'' [...]. Terravecchia was an open area which is now burned and ruined largely as a result of the war. The land is very steep on the lower slopes and walking is very painful; on the other hand the Terranova area is generally flat, with fairly wide streets and many modern houses. It is surrounded not only by a solid wall, which forms a continuous enclosure, but a wide and deep moat and magnificent bastions. The wall was begun in the time of Tomasino de Campofregoso, then lord of the island, and completed later through the efforts of the [[Bank of Saint George]]. The bastions and the moat were made by that same bank and by the Genoese government during the last war. The bank has added a very beautiful citadel but the benefits do not match the expense it required during its construction; it cost, in fact, 25,000 [[ducat]]s. Bastia has two convents of [[Friars Minor]], one of [[Recollects]], and the other [[Order of Friars Minor Capuchin|Capuchin]]. This city, being the governor's residence, prospered greatly but it also had much to suffer in recent wars. Although the main centre on the island many people were of the opinion that its importance will hardly increase. The first reason they give is that the population of the city is composed of Genoese and Corsicans: the Genoese, from Rivières, belong to the lower class. Most Corsicans also belonged in this class. There is a jealousy and rivalry between the inhabitants of Bastia so great that few mind the interests of the city: they apply themselves only to deceit and to oust each other and that is where we get all the evil. The second reason is that the city has no port. It has in fact a small bay where it is possible to relax on small boats. On the other hand, houses, until now, have been very poorly distributed. There is not one that has a stable nor even a well or a cistern, so that it is necessary to fetch water from the fountain outside. Also in summer the water is very hot because it comes from far away via an [[aqueduct (water supply)|aqueduct]].

:The cellars are far from being good. Bastia is built on a rocky ground, where ducts and sewers can be dug only with great difficulty. The city has no pleasant walks and is also very exposed to the West Wind which sometimes lasts for eight or ten days, so we can not leave home because the wind is so strong that it shakes the houses. What is more advantageous for Bastia is to be near fertile country that produces some wine, such as at Cap Corse, and elsewhere wheat, as on the higher pièves. There is a at the doorstep and only a short distance from Piombino and other mainland locations. It is for these reasons, and not for others, that the Board has chosen Bastia to make the residence of its governors: because there is nowhere on the island where the governor would be better off than at Bastia".

–  Agostino Giustiniani in ''Description of Corsica'', translation by Lucien Auguste Letteron in ''History of Corsica''. {{in lang|fr}}

He ends his description as follows:

:"There were still in the piève of Orto two small villages with the main pieve church dedicated to Saint Mary. These two villages and the church were ruined after the last [[Bubonis plague|plague]] and also because of the negligence of the piévans. After Porraggia comes Punta d'Arco and the Chiurlino Lake, about ten miles long, which can be entered only by very small boats. In this lake is an island, where there is good hunting for [[wild boar]]. This place is called the island. There are also two other small islands where fishermen stay: one is called ''Ischia nova'' which became famous in the recent wars and the other is called ''Ischia Vacchia''. There is fishing in this lake for ''cephalic'' (cefalu or mazzardi), [[Mullet (fish)|mullet]] (muggini), and other fish that make excellent [[Botargo]]. These fish and eels are taken in large quantities and serve as ordinary food for the inhabitants of Bastia, not to mention the fish that comes from the pièves of Orto, Mariana and Mercurio. Then comes the Port of Lo Pino then the Gulf of Bastia, which is called ''Portocardo'' by the sailors. There is then the Ruisseau de S. Nicolas, then successively the Port of Toga, Grigione, the port and Ruisseau di Pietranera where there is a tower."

–  Agostino Giustiniani in ''Description of Corsica'', translation by Lucien Auguste Letteron in ''History of Corsica''. {{in lang|fr}}{{page needed|date=August 2022}}