The Castagniccia

You’ll have two opportunities to visit this wonderful region : from Cervione taking the D71 until Ponte Leccia or even from Folelli by the D506. Start your tour with some villages absolutely charming…

Carcheto : downtown is the Sainte Marguerite church from the Baroque period with inside an interesting “Way of the Cross” painted on canvas in 1790.

Piedicroce : another marvel of the Baroque style is the Saint Pierre & Saint Paul church. Take the time to admire the inside with an abundance of stucco, sculptures and fresco.

You’re certainly a little bit thirsty after all those visits, aren’t you ? So, why not have a refreshing stop in Orezza, an ancient spa known for its chalybeate springs with therapeutic properties.

La Porta : which name means “The door” is indubitably the entrance door of the Castagniccia.

An amazing monument is the Saint Jean Baptiste church by being a real work of art of the Corsican Baroque style. First built in 1680, the front was ended around 1707 by an architect coming from Milano and called Domenico Baina. In 1720, he has also built a five-storeyed campanile close to the church.

Inside the church, you can admire some monochrome paintings created by Girolamo da Porta in 1886 covering the vaults and the walls. Several pictures decorate the church and have been offered by Napoleon III.

Then, go through the Prato col (985m) with a possible starting point to a nice hike (around 6 hours) until the top of the San Pedrone mount (1767m) dominating the green Castagniccia : what a wonderful sightseeing over the region and the tuscan archipelago !

Morosaglia : the birthplace of Pascal Paoli, our national corsican hero from the XVIIIth century. His statue will welcome you at the entrance of the village. The house where he was born has been changed into a departmental museum where you can discover the Corsican history.

There, the traditional housing is made with typical materials of Castagniccia as for example the schist.