Having acquired the Citadelle in 2019, the City of Ajaccio seeks to make this exceptional heritage site a driving force for cultural, economic, touristic and event activities in the city center. Its main goals are:
• To create a vibrant neighborhood that connects the historic center of the city with the Genoese town and the port.
• To host a year-round program of activities that caters to the residents of Ajaccio and Corsica, while attracting tourists.
• To preserve the site’s historical significance in its programming and its developments.
• To establish connections with the broader Mediterranean region.

In 2019, following its acqusition, the municipality of Ajaccio aimed to open up the Citadelle to the city’s residents, gradually activating it to anticipate its future uses. The municipality of Ajaccio and SPL Ametarra have partnered with Manifesto in the development, implementation and coordination of this ongoing public opening, even while the site undergoes transformation. Manifesto has curated an annual artistic and cultural program, including artist residencies, exhibitions, outdoor exhibitions and heritage tours. Additionally, based on specifications established by Manifesto, a program of activities has been designed to test ideas emerging from public consultation, including artist studios, craft shops, a project space and an open-air café. The site is now open to the residents of Ajaccio, who are fully engaging with the activities on offer.

Meanwhile, together with Mutatis and its partners (Alphaville, In Extenso TCH, Huit et demi), Manifesto is working to define the long-term plan for the site and its public spaces, alongside architects and urban planners specializing in architectural reuse and urban programming. The goal is to transform the Citadelle into an extension of Ajaccio’s historic center and a recognized tourist destination. Building on the outcomes of the site’s artistic and cultural activation, Manifesto is defining its long-term uses and exploring the best ways to manage and operate them.

• The mission involves identifying the needs and expectations of the Citadelle’s potential audiences, in order to develop the most relevant programs for this remarkable heritage site.
• The goal is to offer future visitors a multifaceted experience, connecting them with Ajaccio’s history and Corsica’s heritage.
• This future landmark of Ajaccio should feature a wide range of offerings, including heritage interpretation, cultural activities, artistic practices, promotion of local craftsmanship and commercial spaces, tourist accommodations, events, etc.

Manifesto has assisted in the definition of a comprehensive plan for the Citadelle Miolis.
• Assessment of the strategic context at both local and broader territorial levels
• Analysis of Corsica’s cultural and tourism landscape
• Contribution to facilitation methods for consultation sessions with local stakeholders and partners
• Definition of program opportunities based on identified needs
• Establishment of a guiding theme and strategic position for the cultural and heritage program
• Initial projections for the economic model and governance structure

Hé viva 2023

La Citadelle is open to the public every day (9am-7pm) and festive events are scheduled throughout the season from March to December.

Gilles Brusset, winner of the call for visual arts creation on the theme of the Mediterranean: Gilles Brusset's "Tra i petri" on the ramparts of the Ajaccio Citadel was inaugurated last week to mark the launch of the Hè viva 2023 season. Resident at the Citadelle Miollis and winner of the call for visual creations on the theme of the Mediterranean, Gilles Brusset has created an ephemeral work, inviting visitors to enter the historic site of the Citadelle Miollis, while playing with light and the Mediterranean landscape.

The guinguette : GHINGHETTA AIACCINA is open from Tuesday to Sunday (9am-8pm and until 11pm from Friday to Sunday) where Laurent Quirici and Silanu Armani propose a home cooking highlighting Corsican products.

Hé viva 2022

A photographic residency: Winner of a call for photographic residency, Marion Gambin focused her work on the reappropriation of the site by the inhabitants by making portraits of the inhabitants of Ajaccio, which compose the exhibition I Abitanti, conceived with the curator Madeleine Filippi.

An electronic music composition residency: Arnaud Castelli was the winner of the residency call for the creation of an electronic anthem and created the sound identity of the Citadelle.

A temporary installation: The Collectif GRU designed and realized the temporary installation of the site (signage, seats, structure of the guinguette, ticketing...), inspired by the Mediterranean nautical universe and using recycled materials.

Workshop for young people "Design your Citadelle": This circus initiation for children from 6 to 11 years old invited a group of children to a week-long dialogue between the past and the future of the Citadelle, through questions of heritage, architecture, urbanism and ecology and various techniques (drawing, model making).

The opening of the Citadel in 2021

The "Prise d'assaut" creative residency: How to tell the story of and symbolize the "reconquest" by the people of Ajaccio of their Citadel? Winner of a call for creations, the Collectif Parenthèse took over the Citadel and wandered around the city of Ajaccio throughout the summer of 2021 to create a participative work in situ, on the theme that gives its name to the residency. The installation, the result of the residency, is a monumental staircase that invites visitors to discover the extraordinary view that emerges beyond the ramparts of the Citadel. Art historian and curator Fabien Danesi followed the collective's project during the three-month residency.

The Parabolic Agave, a sculpture by Baptiste César: Following a call for residency launched by the City around the theme "Connecting minds, building the future", the artist Baptiste César created a sculpture from materials recovered in the Citadel. Installed on the Bastion Saint Jacques, the parabolic work visible from outside the Citadel, which was bought by the FRAC, is a call to all Ajaccians to discover this heritage site.

A photographic residency: The photographer Céline Clanet won the call for residency to capture the last moment of the Citadel before its reopening. Fannie Escoulen, independent curator, followed the artist throughout her work at the Citadelle. Together, they conceived La richesse nue, an in situ installation of the images created during the residency.