6 Castles for sale in Corsica

France's Mediterranean island has its own building tradition shaped by isolation and a history of Genoese rule: watchtowers along the coast, granite hill villages inland, and a mountainous interior that kept much of the island's architecture defensive well into the modern era.

Ferry or flight-only access adds real cost to any renovation — materials, contractors and equipment all have to be shipped in — and that logistics premium is worth budgeting for separately from the purchase price itself, since it does not show up until work actually starts.