A striking feature of the Cap is the fortifications. The island, of course, sits strategically across the seaways of the northern half of the western Mediterranean. It has been inhabited for at least 3000 years; in the first 2000 it changed hands a few times - Toreens, Greeks, Romans and so on. But after the fall of the Western Empire, life got very warlike. Vandals, Byzantines, Lombards, Saracens, Pisans all took a turn, until the Genoese finally established control in 1284.
Their sovereignty was heavily contested - by Pisa, Aragon, France, Florence, and most of all by the Corsicans themselves. The Genoese hung on (although at times only by the tips of their fingers within a few coastal towns) until the mid-eighteenth century. At that point, the Corsicans achieved a short-lived self-rule under their hero, Pasquale Paoli, but he was beaten by the French. After the Revolution, he regained control, until he fell out with the National Assembly. The British backed him, creating a short-lived independent kingdom which fell apart when the British abandoned the island to its fate after just two years. The French retook Corsica, but did not allow Corsicans citizenship till 1815 - and of course even today there is significant independent sentiment across the island.
All these battles leave their mark on the landscape, most of all the towers that parade along the coast. At the same time, high on the hills above, wind towers march, producing power from the free abundance of moving air. In today's Europe, energy security is at the heart of safety and prosperity, and here, again, Corsica is in a vital position.
The Cap also carries several lighthouses and the radar station. The danger of the sea hasn't changed, although our ability to mitigate and avoid the risks has improved a lot. Coming into Corsica we had had to alter course to avoid a fast moving cargo vessel. Diminishing fuel suggests that before long maybe such a vessel will use a parasail (see this article) to reduce costs.
It's not a long stretch of water, but it contains a lot to ponder, even on a calm and beautiful day.