The Villa in its early days
A historic photo from the first years of rentals at Ruppione.
A villa born from a love affair with Ajaccio.
Before it became a holiday address at Ruppione, Villa Iché-Poggi was first a family story — of football, of love, of the first spade in the ground in 1978, and of a welcome passed on for more than 40 years.
Bernard Iché
A goalkeeper, Ajaccio, then Corsica.
Bernard Iché, a former professional goalkeeper, played for clubs linked to Ajaccio in the late 1960s and early 1970s. His time in Corsica was not just a sporting chapter: he discovered Ajaccio, the light of the bay, the landscapes of the south shore and the very particular way the sea has of staying in your memories.
This is where the personal story of Villa Iché-Poggi begins. Bernard came to play in Ajaccio, fell in love with Corsica and the Bay of Ajaccio, and above all with Jacqueline, whom he would marry. That meeting gave the house a meaning far beyond a holiday rental: it became a place of roots, of homecomings and of passing things on.
A little nod: Bernard Iché on Wikipedia
The original house
1978: breaking ground.
Villa Iché was first the home of Bernard and Jacqueline. Work began in 1978, at a time when Ruppione did not yet look like the established destination it is today. The original heart of the house is Sciaccarellu, the large family apartment, first conceived as a home facing the sea.
Choosing Ruppione says a lot about the spirit of the house: the beach in front, the maquis behind, Ajaccio in the light of the bay, and the feeling of being close enough to everything without losing the calm of a family address. Before being a rental, the Villa is a lived-in home, built out of attachment to the place and to Corsica.
How the Villa has changed
From the early days to today, continuous improvement.
Here is Villa Iché-Poggi in its early days, and today. This evolution reflects more than 40 years of welcoming guests, with regular improvements to the outdoor areas, the apartments and their comfort.
The Villa today
A house modernised over the years while keeping its family spirit.
Milestones
Among the first rentals at Ruppione.
The apartments also tell this story. Their names, inspired by Corsican grape varieties, keep a link with the land, the seasons and the island's identity.
1978: the family home
Sciaccarellu is the foundation of the story: the house first lived in as a home, a family place and an anchor facing Ruppione.
1980/81: the first rentals
Vermentinu, Brustianu, Codicerta and Aleatico were built to welcome the first visitors. The Villa was then one of the very first rental addresses at Ruppione, long before the area became so sought after.
An extension a few years later
Niellucciu and Muresconu then completed the whole. Villa Iché-Poggi became a fuller address, able to welcome couples, families, friends and large groups throughout the seasons.
Passing it on
More than 40 years of welcome, and a modernised house.
Since the first stays in 1980/81, more than 40 years of visitors have crossed the road to Ruppione beach, made the terraces their own and discovered the beach bar, Ajaccio, Isolella and the south shore. This long history is a real strength: it speaks of experience patiently built, knowledge of the place and a faithful welcome.
Yet the Villa has not stayed frozen in time. Over the years, the apartments have been modernised, enlarged and made more comfortable: verandas for more living space, air conditioning, new equipment, improvements designed for summer living but also for the mild seasons of spring and autumn. The spirit remains that of a family home; the comfort keeps evolving.
Jacqueline Iché-Poggi
The Villa's host, the living link with Ruppione.
Since Bernard passed away, Jacqueline Iché-Poggi has carried on welcoming guests at the Villa with the family continuity that is the soul of the place. Poggi is her maiden name: a reminder that the house was not born of a property project, but of a meeting, a family and a deep attachment to Corsica.
Jacqueline has known the house since its beginnings — the apartments, the seasons, the travellers' habits and the little tips that change a stay: the best time to go down to the beach, the walks to do when the maquis is mild, useful addresses, the days when Ajaccio is easier to reach by sea. Her role gives Villa Iché-Poggi a more personal presence: you are not booking an anonymous address, you are joining a house run by a host who knows its story.
Today
Welcoming guests without erasing the past.
Today, Villa Iché-Poggi welcomes travellers who come for Ruppione beach, the Bay of Ajaccio, the sunsets, the Isolella walks and the mildness of the off-peak seasons. But its charm also comes from this family thread: an arrival through Ajaccio, a meeting, a house, then apartments built around one place and cared for over time.
Booking at Villa Iché-Poggi means joining a pioneering address at Ruppione, which has welcomed guests for more than four decades without losing its family-home soul.
