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Tucked into the narrowest part of the Golfe de Valinco, the small port of PROPRIANO (Prupria), 8km northwest of Sartene, centres on a fine natural harbour that was exploited by the ancient Greeks, Carthaginians and Romans, but became a prime target for Saracen pirate raids in the eighteenth century, when it was largely destroyed. Redeveloped in the 1900s, it now boasts a thriving marina, and handles ferries to Toulon, Marseille and Sardinia. The town around the port has also grown in importance, largely under the direction of a powerful coalition consisting of the mayor, a second-generation Italian immigrant named Emile Mocchi; his nephew, one of the leaders of a prominent nationalist group; and southern Corsica's most renowned godfather, Jean-Jerome (aka "Jean-Je") Colonna, veteran of the infamous "French Connection". Together, this alliance has somewhat held in check power struggles between the area's political and Mafia organizations, allowing Propriano to prosper as a tourist resort, although reports of mob and nationalist violence still crop up from time to time in the local press. The occasional eruption of violence, however, doesn't deter the tourists, who come here in droves for the area's beaches . The nearest of these, plage de Lido , lies 1km west, just beyond the Port de Commerce; it's patrolled by lifeguards during the summer and is much safer and more appealing than the grubby plage de Baracci , 1km north of town, where the undertow is precariously strong. Just 3km beyond the Baracci beach, the D157 branches off to the left and continues along the coast, which is built up with hotels and package-tour holiday blocks until Olmeto plage , 10km west, where an abundance of campsites are on offer . You can reach Olmeto on the three daily buses from Propriano to Porto.
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