Corsica

Corsica, which shares the Mediterranean with Sardinia, combines French sophistication with Italian swagger. Its champagne-colored sand beaches are spectacular and have remained largely untouched by the twenty-first century. A typical Corsican skepticism has kept mass tourism at bay, and as a result, there are few motorways and high-rises to obscure the breathtaking views. The best beaches in Corsica are hidden on the quieter north coast: Palombaggia with its pink-tinted sand, serene Portigliolo, and Saleccia, the most rugged and remote of them all.