Luxury home in Corsica? Separatists are bombing multimillion-euro properties
Separatist groups in Corsica are targeting second homes owned by non-locals with bombings and arson. Despite these violent threats, the real estate market on the island remains robust, with high demand for luxury properties.
Why it matters
The conflict highlights the tension between local identity, tourism-driven real estate development, and the impact of foreign investment on local housing markets.
On the French island of Corsica, owning a second home can come with an unusual risk of it being blown up by separatists.Corsica’s decades-old independence movement has increasingly turned its attention to second homes, particularly properties owned by people from mainland France and foreign buyers. Since October 2023, dozens of homes have been bombed or set on fire across the island, including 34 properties in 20 towns during a single overnight spree.The campaign has not stopped buyers from coming. Multimillion-euro homes continue to be built and sold, even as separatists warn outsiders against buying property on what they regard as their land.The National Liberation Front of Corsica, or FLNC, the armed wing of the island’s long-running independence movement, has claimed thousands of attacks since it was formed in 1976.
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