Cyrnos Palace

The Palais Cyrnos, in Ajaccio

The Palais Cyrnos, or Cyrnos Palace, is an extravagant dwelling of the end of the nineteenth century, born from the passion of a wealthy Scotswoman for Ajaccio. The Ajaccio audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this fine façade of the district of the foreigners, witness of the time when the aristocracy came to spend the winter on the Isle of Beauty.

Miss Campbell and the dream of a palace in the sun

The fine extravagant façade that you admire at the corner of the street is that of the Cyrnos Palace. Its history begins around 1870, when a wealthy Scotswoman, Miss Campbell, travels in the islands of the Mediterranean and falls under the charm of Ajaccio. In 1883, she acquires this land with the aim of having a private mansion built there to her measure. One must remember that, from the second half of the eighteenth century, the south of France sees the English aristocracy flock in, seduced by the benefits of the climate and the sea baths. They rush to Nice, which even lays out for them a long and fine promenade by the sea. Miss Campbell, for her part, sets her heart on the Corsican capital and even writes a work in which she praises the benefits of life in Ajaccio. The success of her book contributes greatly to making the Isle of Beauty known, and many of her compatriots come in their turn to settle there for the winter. The dwelling, inaugurated a few years later, soon becomes a resort hotel, the Cyrnos Palace, from the antique name of Corsica. With its adorned façade and its allure of a Mediterranean palace, the building testifies to this golden age of winter tourism and of the district of the foreigners. A resort dwelling and an extravagant façade, the Palais Cyrnos is a fine stop of the discovery of Ajaccio.

What to see

You admire the fine extravagant façade of the Cyrnos Palace, a dwelling born from the passion of a wealthy Scotswoman, Miss Campbell, who acquired the land in 1883 to build a private mansion there; seduced by Ajaccio, she wrote a book praising life on the island, which attracted many aristocrats for winter resort, and the dwelling became the Cyrnos Palace, from the antique name of Corsica. The Palais Cyrnos is a witness of the district of the foreigners of Ajaccio. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Palais Cyrnos lies at the corner of a street of Ajaccio, in the district of the foreigners, reachable on foot. You admire its extravagant façade from the street; it is a building that is not intended for visits, whose architecture you appreciate from the outside. You discover it during a walk in the district.

Who had the Palais Cyrnos built in Ajaccio?

A wealthy Scotswoman, Miss Campbell, seduced by Ajaccio, who acquired the land in 1883 to build a private mansion there; she even wrote a book praising life on the island, which attracted many aristocrats for winter resort, and the dwelling became the Cyrnos Palace hotel, from the antique name of Corsica.

Where is the Palais Cyrnos in Ajaccio?

At the corner of a street of Ajaccio, in the district of the foreigners, in Corsica.