2nd day : Inland Corsica, its forests, its mountains

Above Porto, at about 5 km you can visit the village called Ota and its Genoese bridges, it’s the starting point for some nice hikes in the direction of the Gorges of Spelunca. Then will appear Evisa, a middle mountain village amidst the chestnut trees and a crossroad for many hiking trips ("Mare e Monti" = Sea and Mountains or "Mare a Mare" = Sea to Sea).

Beyond the village begins the forest of Aïtone with chestnut trees and Corsican pines, with tall and narrow trunks which were used a long time ago by the Genoese and then the French to build their boats. Here you can also find some maritime pines and beech trees.

Stop there and take a deep breath, as you go down the waymarked paths (the path of the nuthatch, the path of the chestnut tree) with waterfalls, torrents and natural pools that have formed in the granite over time.

The Col de Vergio (1467m) indicates the limit of the forest of Aïtone and the beginning of the forest of Valdo-Niello, in the Niolo region. From there, you’ll enjoy a superb clear view on both forests. Then you go down through the forest of Valdo-Niello, which is the biggest in Corsica, towered above by the Monte Cinto (2710m) which is the highest mountain of the island. You will come to Calacuccia, the main village in the Niolo, and its amazing dam, which is a major reservoir of fresh water.

Not to be missed :

The Scala Di Santa Regina, a road carved through the gorges, the only access to the Niolo until the XIX° century, take the time to have a look at the petrified shapes of imaginary animals carved out in the rocks over the ages.

Let yourself be taken under the spell by is magic….

Go back on to the main road at Francardo and continue up to Corte.