General view of Sainte-Lucie-de-Tallano
If you want to please a Corsican, you have to tell him about his mountain. The one where he takes refuge in the early days.
Where he kept a family sheepfold. Where he left a part of his soul.
In the south of the island, the Alta Rocca is no exception to the rule; composed of maquis landscapes, maritime pine plantations, rocky needles and villages clinging to the mountainside, away from the tourist crowds.
Sainte-Lucie-de-Tallano is a village made entirely of granite, with narrow streets, facing the Gulf of Valinco.
Corsican statue in front of the church of Saint Lucia de Tallano
With its appearance of a ghost town, it still bears the brunt of an old legend who says it was stricken with the evil eye...
Leaving aside this legend, it is better to get to know the olive grower who, installed on the Place du Monument aux Morts, alone ensures the local animation while favoring his 100% natural products.
Superb Genoese house
On its granite plateau, Levie is the regional capital. Its main attraction? The Archaeological Museum which retraces 3 years of human occupation in the region.
For its part, Quenza allows you to discover some last Genoese houses dating back more than a millennium.
Superb in summer, Quenza is also a good starting point for cross-country skiing enthusiasts in winter.
Better known but also pretty, Zonza is appreciated for its hotels and restaurants which give pride of place to local products.
Among the personalities who appreciated them: Theodore I (in 1736, when he was King of Corsica!) Or Mohamed V, deposed Sultan of Morocco.
It is from here that you must set out to conquer the Needles of Bavella or the Castellu de Cucuruzzu, an archeological site nestled in an exceptional natural setting. As is the case everywhere in Alta Rocca…
Text: Philippe CHAVANNE – Photos: Alice DELVAILLE
