A trip to Castagniccia, at the heart of Corsica +Added to my favoriteItem already present

Xavier Santucci

Xavier is a man you can’t forget: an enthusiast who loves his land, his language and his culture above all else. He loves to love his country. Spend a day with him and you experience the true Corsica. In his native Castagniccia, each place and each stone has its own story: the San Pedrone, the Convent of Orezza, the village of Campudonicu, the Church of St Margaret or the village of Perelli. His eyes light up when he tells me about the Castagniccia of his childhood, where the island’s largest chestnut trees grew; the Castagniccia that supported the highest population density (per square kilometre) in Europe; the Castagniccia whose schools were full of children; the Castagniccia that had places of exchanges between ‘paisani’ (villagers) in grocery stores and bars. Today, life in the village has changed – but Xavier wouldn’t leave for anything in the world.

Hiking

Around 5 hours of walking and 300 metres’ altitude: I decided to try a hike with this extraordinary native speaker and mountain guide. He would show me the roads and trails of Castagniccia so that I could better understand his heritage.

We set off from Piedicroce, with its Baroque church of St Peter and St Paul dating from the 17th century; the organ here is the oldest in Corsica, and worth a look. Then there are the ruins of the Convent of Orezza (built in 1485) where Pascale Paoli wrote the ‘Consulte’ serving as a basis for the first American constitution. This place is full of history and nostalgia, where it’s easy to imagine the troops of the General arriving on horseback.

We proceeded to village of Campudonicu overlooking the valley, with its ‘seccatoghju’ (chestnut dryer) and view of the snowy summit of San Pedrone, rising to 1,767m. From here you can see Cap Corse and the island’s east coast, the Tuscan archipelago and sometimes the Italian coast. It was then on to Piedipartinu and Carchetu with the 13th-century Tevola Towers, converted into accommodation by the unmistakable Jean-Claude Rogliano. We also passed the waterfall ‘di a Struccia’, the village of Stazzona with its majestic lauze-roofed houses, wildlife, fountains and chapels. Xavier tirelessly narrated throughout.

See you soon!

I left my guide feeling enthralled – he certainly made me fall in love with his area today. One thing’s for sure: I’ll come back to him one day, whether for a full-blown hike or just to wander around.

But tonight another adventure awaits me: a night in Countess Tevola’s tower, dating from the 13th century. I was surprised to discover that its towers were renovated by a sweet dreamer named Jean-Claude Rogliano.