Jared and I had spent the past six days adventuring through Corsica, a French territory that, despite being the most mountainous island in the ... crevices and passing under tall pines.

But he agreed to the Corsica trip hosted by the island's popular ... movement and a special constitutional status currently under discussion between Paris and local elected officials.

It is the strategy for me. At the end of May, a college friend and I spent 11 days traveling through Sardinia and Corsica, Italian and French islands (respectively) off the western coast of Italy.

Known for its glittering coastline, the French island of Corsica has a rugged side, too. I clung to the face of the limestone cliff like a crab, my fingers turning white as they clawed the chalky rock ...