Altagène walks

Only one climb and one descent, but what a beautiful view awaits you. View of the villages of Alta Rocca: Zonza, Quenza and Serra di Scopamène, as well as the Bavella Needles.

Starting from Poggio di Tallano, this circular route without any particular difficulties allows you to admire the Chapel of San Giovanni (St John the Baptist, a beautiful Romanesque church) and visit the pretty villages of Altagène, Sant'Andréa and Sainte-Lucie-de-Tallano. There are many old buildings, fortified houses and an old oil mill along the way. Most of the route follows sunken paths, but this does not prevent you from enjoying magnificent views of the surrounding mountains.

A beautiful historical and cultural walk on a variant of the Mare à Mare Sud. A well-maintained and signposted trail for an easy family hike, mostly shaded, to a ruined mill and a beautiful footbridge. Return via the same route.

A beautiful hike on the Sardinian plateau via the village of Aullène. Some of these trails connected villages in the days before roads existed. They are ideal for exploring the heights of Alta Rocca. This walk alternates between open and closed landscapes, holm oak forests and chestnut groves. A typical atmosphere of the Alta Rocca region.

This is an attractive hike due to the panoramic views from the summit (view of the Rizzanese valley, the Aiguilles de Bavella, the Gulf of Valinco, etc.) and from a historical point of view. Indeed, numerous educational panels, starting from the point (3), retrace the history of the lord of Rinucciu Della Rocca and his castle. The descent to the village winds its way through impressive granite boulders, once inhabited, in a forest of holm oaks that is as beautiful as it is mysterious.

This walk will offer you a brief yet emotionally rich encounter with everything that constitutes a sign, a trace or a memory of the area. This sense of place will be brought to life through the many restored examples of dry-stone heritage (walls, fountains, wash houses, mills, etc.). As you walk along this trail, you will be following in the footsteps of the generations who came before us and who have bequeathed to us an expression of civilisation and a testament to the history of a community.

A round-trip mountain hike, mainly along the ridge, offering beautiful panoramic views of the surrounding valleys and villages. This route allows you to complete only part of the proposed route by turning back from any point, depending on the wishes of the walkers and the conditions.

At the gateway to Alta Rocca, this moderately difficult hike allows you to enjoy the exquisite scents of the maquis in spring. The route stretches along the ridge, offering views of both the Taravo and Rizzanèze valleys. After San Petru, there is a magnificent viewpoint from an orientation table. You can continue on to the memorial stone commemorating the 1981 plane crash. The return and descent are opposite the Aiguilles de Bavella and Incudine.

At the gateway to Alta Rocca, this moderately difficult hike allows you to enjoy the exquisite scents of the maquis in spring. The route begins with a pleasant woodland trail before reaching the ridge, which offers views of the Taravo valley and the Rizzanèze valley. From San Petru, there is a magnificent panoramic view of the Gulf of Valinco (Propriano) as far as the Gulf of Ajaccio. On the way back, the descent is opposite the Aiguilles de Bavella.

The Three Villages Trail offers a beautiful day's hike. Passing mainly through the Mare à Mare, this route allows you to discover authentic villages in the Alta Rocca region (Quenza, Serra di Scopamena and Sorbollano). You will follow connecting paths once used by locals to travel from village to village.

A beautiful walk in the Alta Rocca, following shaded paths cooled by the proximity of numerous streams. You also pass through the village of Quenza, where you can stop for a bite to eat. Best done in mid-season or even in summer when it is very hot. I have been informed (September 2024) that the walk now starts from the restaurant La Ferme A Stadda, just below Zonza, 200 metres below point no. 1.

The 360° views from the summit over the bay of Porto-Vecchio, the Ospedale dam and the Alta Rocca are well worth the final climb, which is short but quite tough. The loop starts near the Cartalavonu lodge, Le Refuge.

A short hike through undergrowth, meadows and scrubland leads to the remains of Castellu di Baricci (beautiful ruins), whose original construction dates back to the 13th century. From the summit (519m) of this rocky outcrop, hikers can enjoy an exceptional panoramic view of the Ortolu valley as far as Roccapina.

Circular starting from the top of the village of Petreto, with a route leading through the undergrowth on the ridge overlooking the Taravo valley to the north and the Rocca valley to the south. From this ridge, there are beautiful views of the valleys, the Gulf of Propriano and Ajaccio in the distance. The route passes by the memorial to the plane crash of December 1981 before descending to the Col de Vélica and then back to the starting point through a pretty deciduous wood.

A marked discovery route on the southern side of the Coscione plateau from the Bucchinera Refuge, known as the Shepherds’ Trail, offering magnificent views of the plateau, the pozzines (wet meadows), Monte Incudine, the Aiguilles de Bavella and, in the distance, Monte Rotondo. The route follows the ‘Sentier des Bergers’, which is signposted and authorised by the plateau wardens to protect the pozzines. It is the longest circular route among the various circular routes on offer. Please note that many of the paths shown on the IGN TOPO25 map are unauthorised, and access to them is discouraged by information boards.

Hike from Sartène to the Col de Suara along the old path linking Porti Vechiu to Sarté. Beautiful sections of this ancient route are still visible along the way. Return via the small D50.