This commune has a rich history. The 16C Chapelle Santa Restituta (Sainte Restitude) houses the relics of Santa Restituta, declared patron saint of the Balagne region by John-Paul II in 1984. Five hundred German mercenaries are buried under the chapel. Recruited by the Genoese to help them defend Corsica, the Germans were killed in 1732 by Corsican patriots during the Battle of Calenzana.

Prince Pierre-Napoléon Bonaparte, son of his Imperial Highness Lucien Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon I, had a hunting lodge built at Lutzibeu overlooking the bay of Crovani. The house was burnt and destroyed during the fall of the Empire. It was thanks to his generosity that the people of Calenzano were among the first to enjoy the benefits of freely available drinking water. Calenzana is probably the only town in France where a public square is named after this prince and where a bust has been erected in this honour.