CAP CORSICA
Between the sea and the mountains
Cape Corsica, is a micro region of Corsica that will surprise you if you don't know it yet.
A real mountain in the sea! Its highest point, "E Folicce" at 1322 metres and Monte Stello at 1307 metres.
From village to village, from valley to valley, from Bastia to Saint Florent, passing through our beautiful valley of Sisco and its Marine, and travelling along our picturesque roads, you will cross many villages rich in heritage.
Whether you're hiking, horse-riding, motorcycling or cycling along the customs path, or driving along the roads from Bastia to the northern tip of Cap Corse, you won't be able to resist all these wild landscapes, all these coves, pebble beaches or sandy beaches, Genoese towers, often round and sometimes square like the most famous one at Nonza and the most photographed one at Santa Maria on the customs path at Macinaggio.
A unique heritage
You will visit our hilltop villages with breathtaking panoramic views.
You will come across one of the eighteen convents (some of which have disappeared): Franciscan, Capuchin (Santa Maria Navita - in Ersa), Dominican (San Ghjacintu - in Santa Maria Di Lota), Benedictine (Benedictine monastery - in Erbalunga), Recollet (San Francescu-Brando Erbalunga) or another of the Servants of Mary (in Sisco - Sainte Catherine)...
Historic trails
In an old village alley, you will observe niches of a devotional statue embedded in the wall of a house, in another village, it will be a bread oven used by the inhabitants of the hamlet once or twice a week.
If you head north towards Macinaggio, you'll discover the Douaniers trail, or further west to the port of Centuri and its Mattei mill, the village of Canari and the village of Nonza, before returning in the evening to the Marine de Sisco.
A mule track will take you as far as the water mill and its aqueduct (in Sisco or Pietracorbara) where chestnut flour was prepared. corn, wheat... another path will make you discover a grape press (Conchiglio-Baretalli); another oil press (in Cagnano)...
On the "route des senteurs" our craftsmen will delight your taste buds. Beekeepers with their different AOC honeys (Brando, Sisco, Pietracorbara, Patrimonio...)
The jam makers with citrus fruits of lemon, citron, clementine, etc.
Biscuit makers and their canistrelli (in the village of Pietracorbara or Centuri and Ersa...) or their gluten-free biscuits with the flavours of the maquis (in Sisco)
The confectioner and producer of citron of Barretalli and his candied citron.
Don't forget the typical little fishing ports, where the atmosphere is one of dolce vita.
The small ports of Brando-Erbalunga, Porticciolo, Santa Severa, Macinaggio, Barcaggio, Pino and Centuri may have lost some of their economic activity, but there is every reason to believe that a revival is possible thanks to the classification of the coastline as part of the Cap Corse and Agriate Marine Natural Park in 2016.
Take time out for a gourmet break with local seafood or a refreshing break with a glass of ice cream from the house. Villoresi.
In these different villages, to name but the best known, Miomo, Lavasina, Brando, Sisco, Pietracorbara, Macinaggio, Ersa, Morsiglia, Centuri, Canari and Nonza, you will never encounter the human tide or the huge traffic jams of the tourist towns on the Isle of Beauty.
Cap Corse is above all an immersion in nature with eyes and ears open to the future!
The houses of the Americans
There are still more than 140 spread out in all the communes of Cap Corse.
They had been erected, on their return to the village, by Corsican capegoers who had left to make their fortune in the Americas in the 19th century.
Colonial in style and mostly with lush gardens.
At the crossroads, especially on the west coast, you will wonder at the monumental tombs, real mausoleums, set on a hill with a panoramic view, belonging to the families of wealthy "Americans".
The gastronomy of Cap Corse
Don't miss a sunset on the east coast at Nonza, Pino or Centuri.
An opportune moment for an aperitif that you will enjoy in moderation, such as the local specialities of Rappu, Muscat wine, Cap Corse Mattei or other beverages from our vineyards.
The most famous AOC white wines of the Îon the wine-growing hillsides of the Rogliano commune, (Domaine Nicrosi and Domaine Gioelli).
Rosé and red AOC wines from the vineyards of Luri, Santa-Severa and Pietracorbara (Domaine de Lina Pieretti).
Even if the neighbouring region of Patrimonio is not included in the community of communes of Cap Corse but in that of Nebbio, this other renowned wine region is a must for its production of AOC rosé or red wines and also sparkling muscat wine.
Among the excellent local products, there are AOC honeys.
The beekeepers of our village of Sisco and those of the villages of the whole Cap Corse are rich in different AOC honeys, one of the only regions in France to have this label thanks to the rich and generous Corsican nature, which is mostly free of pesticides or other toxic products.
The community of municipalities of Cap Corse, rich in its past, is turned towards the future with its goat, sheep and cattle breeding companies.
It is a veritable anthill of many family-run tourist businesses. Small in size, they all contribute to its charm. But not only that, it has also been a place for artistic and cultural encounters, sometimes of international renown, for several decades.
Beaches and walks
A few more kilometres without leaving this road, the beach of Porticciolo.
Then the fishing and leisure port of Santa Severa.
Macinaggio is the ideal place for hiking or mountain biking along the customs path, which will take you to the Instagrammable Santa Maria tower.
A little more sporty effort and you will arrive at Barcaggio, the northernmost point of our Cap-Corse and of the whole of Corsica.
Barcaggio and the nearby Tolare marina with its wonderful sunrises and sunsets are a real enchantment.
This is thanks to its exposed geographical position at the extreme north of the island. Depending on the season, and particularly at the height of summer, you can watch the sun rise and set in the same place on the same day.
The protected Finocchiarola islands have been protected for several decades and most recently by the recently established Cap Corse and Agriate Marine Natural Park.
The Genoese towers of Cap Corse
The entire coastline is punctuated by various Genoese towers, testimony to the Genoese era which lasted more than 500 years.
There are a number of differences between the watchtowers along the coastline and the towers you will see in the hamlets and villages.
The latter were occupied by Genoese lords, while the others were used to keep an eye on possible invaders.
If you walk further north towards Maccinaggio, you will discover the "sentier des Douaniers", or further west from the port of Centuri and its Mattei mill, from the village of Canari, from the village of Nonza, to return in the evening to the Marine of Sisco.
Beachgoers, young and old, will only have to choose between The choice is yours.
As the name suggests, the Sisco Marina offers a pebble and sandy beach or cove close to our 2-star hotel U Pozzu.
4 km from our hotel, on the road to Cap Corse, you will find the beautiful sandy beach of Pietracorbara at the foot of Castellare and the tower of Ampuglia.
Here is a small tour of the area that I have just presented to you. I hope that it will have given you the desire to come and visit us and to spend a pleasant stay among us, in Sisco, for your holidays, your hikes, your escapes, your seminars, your festivities, your celebrations or many other pretexts.
Together with our professional team, we will be happy to welcome you.
How to get there
Whether you choose to stay in Sisco, you can of course call at the port of Ajaccio from Toulon or Marseille, but it is easier to arrive at the port of Bastia, as we are only 15 km from the main town of Haute-Corse.
The other option is to fly to Bastia airport and book a rental car to meet us.
When you disembark the ship, if you have chosen the port of Bastia as your arrival point, I suggest you take a walk around the Place Saint-Nicolas with its many shady cafés, its tourist office, its statue of Napoleon Bonaparte as a Roman emperor and enjoy the "Dolce Vita" atmosphere. Start by visiting its fishing port, museum, citadel, churches and baroque cathedral. Afterwards, you will drive or take the bus to the Cap-Corse point - on the east side - to our hotel. (Right next to the bus stop)
You'll marvel at this coastline bordering the Tuscan archipelago. And if you're lucky, you'll catch a glimpse of the islands of Monte Cristo, Elba and Capraia.
Here you are, at last, on your way to a beautiful stay in our Cap-Corse from east to west and from north to south! Open your eyes and let yourself be carried along the twisted road between sea and mountain, from valley to valley.
Don't hesitate to stop for a tasting in moderation on your hiking, motorbike or car tour of Cape Town.
