Two Go to Corsica

[DBK]

Thanks to @Hilltopper the mystery beetle has been identified.

It is Calosoma sycophanta and is a serious caterpillar eater. It is native to Europe but has been deliberately spread to areas which suffer from plagues of caterpillars such as the processionary moths and here on Corsica to protect Cork oaks from the Gypsy moth.

And my estimate of its size was wrong, they are 25mm long and fast movers.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calosoma_sycophanta

 

[DBK]

An Old Stones day today as we explored the Megaliths of Cauria. There are some 500 prehistoric sites in this tiny corner of Corsica alone so with just a day to spare we concentrated on the best four.

According to my guidebook Palaggiu is one of the most important menhir alignments in the world, which I think is an exaggeration, it is no Carnac, but you would still think they would make an effort to encourage visitors.

The above is the start of the mule track leading to the stones. There is no car park and no signage other than the spray painted one on the left. We found a space to pull over a couple of hundred metres away and then walked for a good twenty minutes on the path, which went up and down a few low hills.

It looks as if there was probably two rows of stones, most now fallen or in the process of falling. Wild boar have been rooting around their bases. The site is unprotected but clearly cared for. The path around the stones had only recently been raked. There is no plan of the site or information board so I can only guess at what we were looking at.

Three of the stones show carved weapons but we could only find one. No face is visible. The biggest stones are easily 4m in total length.

Discovered in late 1800s there are supposed to be 258 menhirs. I said it is no Carnac but it has something Carnac lacks - a complete absence of people. We had the place to ourselves.

We moved on after Palaggiu to a group of three sites close together. To reach them involved a very steep and rough road, I was in first gear on the steepest part and all 180 horses were let out of the stable for exercise. As an aside I've developed a way of grading roads here. Most are good but some are P roads, meaning they have patches. P2 roads have patches on the patches. The full length of this road to the three sites was a P2 with some stretches possibly P3 grade with patches on the patches on the patches.

There was a car park at the end the "road" and unlike at Palaggiu there was a sign listing the three sites. What the original sign didn't show was where they were but someone had helpfully scratched an arrow on it pointing the way.

The three sites are close together but not close to the car park so it was another walk, this time only about ten minutes but we were grateful for the breeze.

The first site are the Menhirs de Stantari.

Some of them are anthromorphic like the ones we saw a Filitosa.

Both have swords but only one a recognizable face.

Some of the menhirs at Filitosa have a spine cut on their reverse side which I didn't read about until after we left so I didn't look for them. But is this a spine?

There is no face on the other side, you can see this menhir from the front in the middle of the group shot above. Note the cleft at the top, is it phallic? The guide book is coy on the subject.

The next site Renaghju, the most ancient Neolithic settlement in Corsica.

There are the remains of round fireplaces to be found here but as we left the guidebook in the van we forgot to look for them.

The final site is the Dolmen Fontanaccia.

A buriel chamber, it would have originally been covered in earth which has since eroded. I suspect it was found collapsed and has been reconstructed but it is still impressive. The flat stone on top was a single piece and easily 3m long if not 4m.

 

[42208]

Loving your pictures of the Megaliths. I use my van to travel all over Europe studying the various stone circles, standing stones and Dolmens etc, recently visited Sardinia (not in the van) and Corsica planned for next year, however, your photo's are teasing me into bringing my plans forward!

 

[DBK]

We have moved to bottom of the island, close to Bonifacio, staying at Camping U'Fariente Pertamina, a name which hardly trips off the tongue, CC46621. There are a few sites near here but the ones closest to Bonifacio have mixed reviews. This place is very swish and at €27 a day plus another €1.20 per day per person tax (the highest we've seen so far) we knew it wouldn't be cheap. But there was a further sting to come.

Can you see it in the top right?

I assume they are trying to discourage dogs. At that price I would have expected a free dog grooming service but they don't even have a dog shower which you see on a few sites. I just hope Charlie appreciates the sacrifices we make for him. We will be on baked beans all weekend. But we were fortunate we arrived today and got the €27 rate all weekend as it goes up to €34 a day tomorrow!

To get here we past a famous landmark, the Rocher du Lion or Lion Rock.

On the left is a Genoese tower, in the middle a bit of rock and on the right a rock which is supposed to look like a lion. Numerous cars and a coach had stopped to look at it. I wasn't that impressed, it looks more like a pantomime horse but perhaps the hazy conditions didn't help.

 

[DBK]

Before I forget, we went shopping yesterday in a fairly small Spar shop. This was the tomato counter.

Eight different varieties visible on this shot but there was a ninth off to the left which were bright orange. Not the sort of display you see often in the UK.

This is the star of today's lunch.

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[Lenny HB]

OUCH!

 

[DBK]

View attachment 308849

OUCH!

I wonder if Jim will let me sell a kidney in the Classified bit? Is there a section for Body Parts?

 

[DBK]

And the tomato in the photo above was turned into this, with the addition of mozzarella cheese and fresh basil. Eaten with crusty bread and lots of olive oil. I could live on meals like this - and we are.

 

[Robert Clark]

And the tomato in the photo above was turned into this, with the addition of mozzarella cheese and fresh basil. Eaten with crusty bread and lots of olive oil. I could live on meals like this - and we are.

View attachment 308905

That’s my kind of food (excluding the bread of course)

 

[Lenny HB]

That’s my kind of food (excluding the bread of course)

Don't do it at home but when away fresh bread for breakfast I usually manage to scoff at least ½ a baguette, bread for lunch and more bread with my evening meal.

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[DBK]

We drove into Bonifacio this morning, using Park4Night to find us a car park, which it does well.

The old part of the town is built on a limestone promontory with sheer cliffs either side. The landward side is sheltered and forms a perfect harbour.

Coming from the car park we arrived at the harbour at the top right in the photo above. From there this is the view.

The big building in the top left is the Bastion de l'Etendard the huge fortification overlooking the town. This is it from another angle.

The entrance is up the ramp in the middle.

I had hoped for some good views of the cliffs but it was very hazy and too early in the day, the angle of the sun should be better late afternoon if anyone comes this way in future.

The cliffs are heavily eroded and sculpted by the wind and sea. Boat trips from the harbour are available for a closer look.

This close-up of a corner of the Bastion shows how precariously it is built on the under-cut cliff.

The entrance to the harbour is a narrow channel with cliffs either side.

We explored the narrow streets which are lined with restaurants.

But our most interesting discovery was the cemetery near the end of the promontory. The leaflet we had described this as "the second most beautiful Mediterranean cemetery" and annoyingly didn't mention where it came second to so we will have to keep looking.

I've become used to guide book exaggeration so you will have to make your own minds up about it.

Not all were in such good repair.

This monument was intriguing.

Back at the campsite I did some exploring. There are several ruined huts nearby made like the trulli houses of Puglia in Italy. They are very skillfully made with a domed roof constructed using the flat limestone stones which are everywhere around here.

 

[Roseandpeter]

Hi DBK, I've been following your thread with much interest. Thanks for all the lovely photos and useful info. We are crossing from sardinia to Bonifacio tomorrow morning. We haven't decided where to stay yet but we will look out for you and say hello if we see you Rose

 

[DBK]

Hi DBK, I've been following your thread with much interest. Thanks for all the lovely photos and useful info. We are crossing from sardinia to Bonifacio tomorrow morning. We haven't decided where to stay yet but we will look out for you and say hello if we see you Rose

Hope you have a good crossing, I think we saw one of the ferries yesterday - they aren't very big so it might be a bit bumpy as it's quite windy here.

How was Sardinia? It's a possible for us next year. We are leaving Bonifacio today and heading north and inland to Zonza.

 

[Roseandpeter]

Yes, we were in Santa teresa and watched the unloading and loading of the blunavy ferry. Most reversed on and the passengers had to get out before they did it to squeeze more on. Interesting....

I have just posted a thread in the italy forum on our trip here in sardinia. We have loved it and recommend it to anyone, especially if you are coming for the beaches.
Happy to answer any questions you may have. Hope to catch up with you.

Did you like the site you stayed at in Bonifacio?
Rose

 

[Devon Sue]

Just found this lovely thread, I would love to head to Italy and will be looking at the maps to plot a route through France.

For those who don't want to "rent" Lightroom, fellow photographers speak highly of Affinity and Luminar, both very similar in operation to Lightroom, but available at a one off cost

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[DBK]

Yes, we were in Santa teresa and watched the unloading and loading of the blunavy ferry. Most reversed on and the passengers had to get out before they did it to squeeze more on. Interesting....

I have just posted a thread in the italy forum on our trip here in sardinia. We have loved it and recommend it to anyone, especially if you are coming for the beaches.
Happy to answer any questions you may have. Hope to catch up with you.

Did you like the site you stayed at in Bonifacio?
Rose

The site at Bonifacio had very good facilities for humans but it wasn't brilliant for MHs with an almost unusable grey disposal point with water and cassette emptying in two other places. Biggest problem was cost. €9.50 a day for a dog and the price for a MH plus 2 has just gone up to around €36 a day including taxes. If you just want to visit Bonifacio see of you can get into CC24616 which is almost in the centre of the town. It gets mixed reviews but should be fine for one or two nights.

 

[Roseandpeter]

Thanks. Will do. Many of the prices have just gone up in sardinia from 1 June. We have been using acsi quite a bit though. Acsi prices hold til around the end of June so I think we might be using acsi in corsica too.

 

[DBK]

Thanks. Will do. Many of the prices have just gone up in sardinia from 1 June. We have been using acsi quite a bit though. Acsi prices hold til around the end of June so I think we might be using acsi in corsica too.

There is an ACSI site in Bonifacio, we planned to go there but unwisely changed at the last moment.

 

[DBK]

"To the mountains" was today's call, so heeding it, off we went.

We have moved to a couple of kilometres north of Zonza.

And in close up.

We are at an altitude of 650m so it should be a bit cooler tonight.

On the way here we saw the Lac de l'Ospidale which might give an impression of the scenery here - forests and bare rock.

We will do some exploring tomorrow.

 

[DBK]

A little south of Zonza is the archaeological site of Cucuruzzu and the Roman/medieval castle of Capula. Unlike the site at Palaggiu which had zero facilities for visitors as in no car park or signs, this place was very well organised and the entrance fee of €4 was reasonable. It would have been only €2.50 if we had brought proof of (old) age but our passports were locked away in the van. Why don't we carry ID cards like everyone else?

A pleasant 15 minute walk through woodland and boulders brought us to the casteddu of Cucuruzzu. The boulders were huge, some literally the size of small houses.

The underside of some of the boulders has eroded to form cavities known as toffalu. Ancient people used them as shelters. This one even had a low wall.

The comprehensive guide book explained how they were formed. The original granite was fractured by geological action and the blocks were separated by deposits of grit formed from the blocks grinding against each other. When exposed at the surface the grit was washed away and further erosion by wind and rain created the rounded forms visible today. The process continues even now but we didn't have time to wait for new boulders to emerge so we pressed on.

The casteddu is very like the one at Filitosa. The people settled on a small hill with exposed boulders on it providing shelter from the weather and potential enemies.

The photo above shows the outer defensive wall and two doorways which join together in a room under the wall.

On the summit of the little hillock was the remains of a low tower. The site dates from around the second millennium BC.

A short walk away is Capula and I still haven't worked out what we saw there today.

The site has been occupied since prehistoric times and the remains of a menhir depicting a warrior was discovered during an archaeological dig.

It's a bit of an eyesight test but on this side side you might just make out a sword, particularly in the bottom third.

On the other face is what may be a stylised rib cage and spine.

The menhir was found broken and this was probably, as at Filitosa, done by early Christians around 400 to 600 AD.

The bit I'm struggling with is this.

There were more of these walls but I can't work out if they are Roman or Medieval using Roman stones from the earlier fortification. I've photographed the pages of the guidebook so will study it when I have access to a larger screen.

Charlie found a trickle of water to cool down in near the end of the walk.

After lunch we took a circular drive through the hills. Ste-Lucie de Tallano has a striking location.

We finished the afternoon at a village where the pulpit of the church is carved in the form of a Moor's head (the emblem of Corsica) supported by sea monsters but the door to the church was firmly locked. Assuming the nearby eleventh century church, an austere rectangular block we glimpsed as we entered the village was similarly secured we returned to the site. Where Charlie had a proper swim in the river and afterwards sunned himself on another boulder.

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[DBK]

We drove the short distance to the Col de Bavella this morning. This, as we found, is a very popular spot. There are several trails into the mountains from here and the famous, if not infamous, GR20 long distance footpath crosses the Col. The GR20 takes about 15 days to complete with typically 7 hours of hiking each day. Nights are usually spent in the refuges or wild camping. It runs north to south down the rugged spine of Corsica at typical altitudes of 1000 to 2000 metres.

We opted for a more sedate plod through the trees.

And saw wild cyclamen.

And impressive trees.

Pinus nigra the Austrian, Laricio or Black pine. Some of these trees are hundreds of years old.

Charlie was unimpressed by the views.

The same view without the dog foreground. Sadly there was cloud on some of the tops so I didn't get the photographs I hoped for but it was still a great morning out.

Afterwards Charlie and I went for a paddle in the river beside the campsite to cool down.

It was chilly.

But my feet soon warmed up in the sun.

We go north again tomorrow, to Corte, the geographic heart of Corsica which we will use as a base for more explorations.

 

[DBK]

Our drive north today took us back over the Col de Bavella and unlike yesterday the air was much clearer, the haze had almost gone and the low clouds mostly too.

The descent from the col on the north side is much steeper and in places much narrower than the souh. Through gaps in the trees we saw spectacular views but places to stop were rare.

To get this shot...

I just pulled over on a straight bit of road as far as I could and put the hazard warning lights on.

Note the trees lining the road. It may not look it but it was busy up there and by late morning most of the few parking places were more or less full.

Lower down we found another place to stop.

We drove on to the coast to do some shopping and after lunch we visited the Roman ruins at Aléria whichI the Romans made the capital of Corsica.

Tickets for the site were just €2 each which included the museum housed in a Genoese fort.

Which, no doubt heavily reconstructed, had an.I attractive courtyard.

If you were sneaky you could visit the Roman site without buying a ticket. It works on an honesty system and you are asked to buy your ticket at the museum but you could just walk in as there is no one checking tickets. But you would miss the museum if you did and it is worth visiting. It was full of interesting artifacts from a Roman and other periods. The vases and jugs with depictions of priapic satyrs were intriguing. What the visiting school party we bumped into made of them I don't know. But then being French they probably took it in their stride.

The site itself is to be honest not too striking. Erosion, weather and no doubt outright theft over the centuries have reduced the original buildings to just outlines.

This is (or was) a temple. The sign in French said it was a "Petit Temple" and it is.

The remains of this arch are the tallest on the site.

More old stones delayed us for a short period later when we pulled over to visit the Genoese bridge near Altiani.

As planned we have stopped in Corte near the middle of the island.

After a busy day we relaxed with a glass of something chilled - and ate some sausage.

You can find these dried sausages everywhere but it's only on this trip I've given them the opportunity to show there stuff.

And I'm hooked. Thinly sliced they are delicious.

 

[DBK]

The main reason for coming to Corte was to visit the Citadelle, which dominates the town.

And from a little closer.

Note the Genoese bridge in the bottom right hand corner of the first photo. We found a Roman bridge still in use in Spain last year.

The original fortification was built in 1419 but the buildings inside the wall are generally later. The very top, seen above, is known as the Nid d'Aigle or Eagle's Nest.

Getting up there involves a lot of steps, some very steep.

You dont need an expensive gym membership, just come to Corte.

Once at the top the views were good but the haze has returned.

When you are nearly at the top reaching the Eagle's Nest was a bit of a puzzle. We could see it just above us but how to get there? The answer was entry is on payment only as the Citadelle is reached through the museum. Standard tickets were €5.20 but over 60s got in for €3.60. Should we be offended the ticket lady didn't ask for proof of age?

The museum is quite big and it is worth spending a little time there - and as we'd paid to get in, even at a reduced rate, this is what we did. One exhibit was mildly disturbing.

I think they are used in processions by the Ste Croix Confraternity and not midnight events involving ropes and trees in the Deep South.

With perfect timing we descended to the lower town at lunch time.

We chose this place obviously not because of the quality of the external rendering but because it was busy and this suggested the chef's kitchen skills were better than his plastering.

We went for a two course menu, starters being a tomato salad with a very yummy dressing though I left the raw onion.

But they were too big, I managed all the tomatoes but between us we left enough lettuce to have made a useful addition to the local allotment's compost heap.

My main was a skewer of pork.

Mrs DBK had a pork chop. Both were cooked over a wood fire and were very tasty, as were the roasted potato chunks. Including a half litre of wine and a coffee the bill was exactly €40. While digesting over the coffee it struck me you don't see toothpicks on tables anymore. They used to be common but a rarity now, I can't remember when I last saw them.

Later I took Charlie for a swim in the river beside the campsite. We'd left him in the van where he would have snoozed away the morning as he always does but I monitored the internal temperature with my homemade Raspberry Pi gadget. This sent me regular emails giving the temperature in the van. I'm not quite sure at what temperature we need to return and rescue him, but under 30, as it was today (just) he was not at all distressed when we returned. We had left the Endless Breeze running too. This screen shot below shows the emails, the last one was just after we got back and opened the door. The Pi Hut email was an interesting coincidence.

We will move on tomorrow.

 

[Robert Clark]

The main reason for coming to Corte was to visit the Citadelle, which dominates the town.

View attachment 310498

And from a little closer.

View attachment 310499

Note the Genoese bridge in the bottom right hand corner of the first photo. We found a Roman bridge still in use in Spain last year.

The original fortification was built in 1419 but the buildings inside the wall are generally later. The very top, seen above, is known as the Nid d'Aigle or Eagle's Nest.

Getting up there involves a lot of steps, some very steep.

View attachment 310500

You dont need an expensive gym membership, just come to Corte.

Once at the top the views were good but the haze has returned.

View attachment 310501

When you are nearly at the top reaching the Eagle's Nest was a bit of a puzzle. We could see it just above us but how to get there? The answer was entry is on payment only as the Citadelle is reached through the museum. Standard tickets were €5.20 but over 60s got in for €3.60. Should we be offended the ticket lady didn't ask for proof of age?

The museum is quite big and it is worth spending a little time there - and as we'd paid to get in, even at a reduced rate, this is what we did. One exhibit was mildly disturbing.

View attachment 310506

I think they are used in processions by the Ste Croix Confraternity and not midnight events involving ropes and trees in the Deep South.

With perfect timing we descended to the lower town at lunch time.

We chose this place obviously not because of the quality of the external rendering but because it was busy and this suggested the chef's kitchen skills were better than his plastering.

View attachment 310509

We went for a two course menu, starters being a tomato salad with a very yummy dressing though I left the raw onion.

View attachment 310508

But they were too big, I managed all the tomatoes but between us we left enough lettuce to have made a useful addition to the local allotment's compost heap.

My main was a skewer of pork.

View attachment 310507

Mrs DBK had a pork chop. Both were cooked over a wood fire and were very tasty, as were the roasted potato chunks. Including a half litre of wine and a coffee the bill was exactly €40. While digesting over the coffee it struck me you don't see toothpicks on tables anymore. They used to be common but a rarity now, I can't remember when I last saw them.

Later I took Charlie for a swim in the river beside the campsite. We'd left him in the van where he would have snoozed away the morning as he always does but I monitored the internal temperature with my homemade Raspberry Pi gadget. This sent me regular emails giving the temperature in the van. I'm not quite sure at what temperature we need to return and rescue him, but under 30, as it was today (just) he was not at all distressed when we returned. We had left the Endless Breeze running too. This screen shot below shows the emails, the last one was just after we got back and opened the door. The Pi Hut email was an interesting coincidence.

View attachment 310512

We will move on tomorrow.

Great pics John
And the food looks wonderful
One of the little pleasures of travelling me thinks, to sample things we don’t necessarily get at home

 

[DBK]

Great pics John
And the food looks wonderful
One of the little pleasures of travelling me thinks, to sample things we don’t necessarily get at home

But are there any toothpicks in Greek tavernas? If any European country has them it must be Greece.

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[Robert Clark]

But are there any toothpicks in Greek tavernas? If any European country has them it must be Greece.

Not that I can recall John
Though I do carry a pack of them in the van as my terribly terrifying dental hygienist insists that I floss and remove inter dental deposits daily

 

[Southdowners]

Wonderful photos! Thank you for sharing

 

[DBK]

I forgot to mention where we stayed in Corte. The aim was to try Camping Chez Bartho, CC77595, but they had no room for us! Probably because it has easy access to the river for swimming. However, unless you like a driving challenge I suggest you stay away from here.

The reason is the bridge above which doesn't come directly off the main road but from a slip road below it and turning onto the bridge was very tight. MHs over 6m would struggle and at the end of the bridge the road dropped away sharply and long overhangs might leave bits of themselves on the road.

We went to Camping Alivetu, CC29098, instead where the bloke in reception was indeed as morose as the reviews suggested. The facilities were clean but EHU points were scarce and all taken. We tried without leccy but our pitch, as virtually all the others were, was too shady. Olive trees are great for keeping you cool but they don't do much to move the electrons when needed. Fortunately there is a high turnover on the site (it's expensive, so folk don't linger) and I grabbed a vacant socket the next day. The power culprit is our compressor coolbox which is working hard. We could give it less wine to cool I suppose....

So today we moved south to Camping Le Soleil, CC65107 and a mere forty five minutes drive south of Corte. Tomorrow we will try a bit of walking but this evening we are just enjoying the view.

The big mountain in the distance is Monte d'Oro, 2,389m and a strenuous 8 hour hike. We will attempt something easier.

 

[Roseandpeter]

Thanks. Very useful to know about the access issues for chez bartho. We will give it a swerve when we visit Corte

 

[DBK]

Thanks. Very useful to know about the access issues for chez bartho. We will give it a swerve when we visit Corte

Corte is worth visiting but the local campsites seem a bit indifferent. A big contrast to the one we are on now.

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