The fortress villages of Corsica

A tour of the medieval fortress villages of La Balagne in northwest Corsica allows you to gorge on the island's famously "raw, awe-inspiring scenery" without leaving the comforts of civilisation behind, says Sasha Bates in the Sunday Telegraph.

The villages perch on hilltops like "mini citadels", their pink-hued walls affording "fabulous" views of the island's "jagged coastline" and savage, mountainous interior. Their forbidding appearance is a reminder of Corsica's tumultuous past, invaded in turn by Italians, Tunisians, Greeks and Spanish before it fell finally to the French. But today they are blissfully full of friendly people, charming restaurants and the workshops of "sophisticated" artisans, including potters, weavers and bakers.

Simpson Travel (0208 392 5851) offers a week in La Balagne from £495pp incl. flights. ·