Nebbio (U Nebbiu)
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Taking its name from the thick mists that sweep over the region in winter, the Nebbio has for centuries been one of the most fertile parts of the island, producing honey, chestnuts and some of the island's finest wine. Tourism, however, has so far made little impact on this depopulated area, which comprises the amphitheatre of rippled hills, vineyards and cultivated valleys that converge on St-Florent, a handful of kilometres due west of Bastia. Aside from EU subsidies, the major money earner here is viticulture: some of the wines produced around the commune of Patrimonio rival those of Sartène, and caves offering wine tastings are a feature of the whole region.

A bishopric until 1790, St-Florent is a chic coastal resort at the base of Cap Corse. It remains the Nebbio's chief town, and is the obvious base for day-trips to the beautifully preserved Pisan church of Santa Maria Assunta, just outside the town, and the Désert des Agriates, a wilderness of parched maquis-covered hills whose rugged coastline harbours one of Corsica's least accessible, but most beautiful, beaches.

The principal public transport serving the Nebbio is the twice-daily bus from Bastia to St-Florent, operated by Transports Santini (tel 04.95.37.04.04) which leaves the gare routière at 10.30am and 5.30pm between June and September, and at 11am and 6pm during the rest of the year (except Oct–May Wed & Sat, when they leave at noon & 5.30pm).