Ile-Rousse (translation: red island) was founded by Pasquale Paoli in 1758, with the goal of creating a port that was not controlled by the Genoese. The site had already been inhabited since much earlier times, and was an active town by 1000 BC. With a fine beach to the south at Plage de Rindara, and small rocky islands to the north, Ile-Rousse is in a splendid setting, which not surprisingly now attracts many visitors - tourism has surpassed the port as the key activity for the town. The architecture of the town, which includes some very attractive buildings, largely dates from the late 18th and early 19th centuries.