Circular, Saint-François Convent - Oletta

With a suggested tour of the historic centre of Oletta, discover the narrow streets that have been completely renovated by the municipality but retain their old-world charm.
There's no way to get lost: the lower and upper streets lead walkers back to Sant'Andria Church and Piaza Nova; from here or from the Muntaghjò steps (at the top of the village), the views are remarkable.
As the communal paths and narrow streets are partially sheltered from the strong sunlight, this walk can be enjoyed in any season.

  • Extension-Variation Visit to the Romanacce hamlet - 1 km round trip from point no. 3 Muntaghjò district

As the Oletta Town Hall website states, "...even though the hamlet is no longer inhabited, it still lives on through the Miracle of the painting of the Virgin Mary that took place there in 1737".
The story of the miracle is recounted on a panel at the entrance to the house where it took place, which
can be visited free of charge, as can the adjoining Saint Anthony Chapel.

Details

33306245
Creation:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 4.44 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 252 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 251 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 360 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 104 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Access by car: 1.5 km from Oletta on the D82 towards Saint-Florent or 8 km from Saint-Florent towards Oletta. Take the road to the Saint-François Convent at the La Conca nightclub sign. Park at Place du Couvent.
Please note: from the beginning of June to the end of September, Oletta's craft market is held on Tuesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The town hall then opens a car park on the edge of the D82 road.

Markings: yellow paint. Signage: wooden signs. Addresses in Corsican in the streets of Oletta.

(S/E) Take Strada Di U Cunventu and pass in front of La Conca.

(1) Continue along the road, cross a small bridge and you will come to a Y-junction. Take the path on the right that climbs under the oak trees. At the end of the path, follow the track on the right and the wooden signs pointing towards the village.
At the second crossroads, take the path on the left that climbs uphill and continue for 350 metres, keeping to the right.
You will reach a wooden sign indicating Oletta Centre - Ruelles. Continue straight ahead until you reach the D38 road.

(2) Cross the D38, climb for 20 metres and take Carrughju Vincent de Morlas. Continue along Carrughju Archiatre Saliceti until it ends. Cross the village road and climb up opposite Carrughju Generale Oletta.
Continue along Stretta Dominique Ghirlanda and, at the end of the cobbled street, take the cement road Strada di u Muntaghjò which climbs up to the right.
After 100 metres, on the left, take the Carrughju Petrone Montalti steps to the end.

(3) At the end, turn immediately left between the houses on Carrughju Prete Saliceti Dettu Peverinu. When you reach the viewpoint, take the stairs down.
After 50 metres, stop at the bread oven, then go down the concrete path and turn right at the dead end sign. Follow Scalinata Di A Pardina, then Carrughju Paul Guidi.
You will arrive at the Church of Sant'Andria d'Oletta. Pass in front of the war memorial on Piaza Nova.

(4) At the beginning of Traversa Martha Angelici, take the stairs on the left between the houses and reach the road - Corsu Mathieu Piazza Alessandrini - and descend for 100 metres. Then take the communal path that descends to the right. At the lowest point, turn right.

(5) Continue along the path on the right, following the wooden sign for Couvent. Pass in front of the Mersulaccia fountain.
Stay on the path until it ends, cross the dry riverbed and reach the convent road at the initial crossroads.
(6) Turn right, following the wooden sign for Retour parking (Return to car park).
 (S/E) Car park at Place du Couvent Saint François

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 108 m - Convent car park
  2. 1 : km 0.15 - alt. 109 m - Strada di u Cunventu
  3. 2 : km 1.27 - alt. 207 m - D38 - Santa Maria neighbourhood climb
  4. 3 : km 1.71 - alt. 299 m - U Montaghjò neighbourhood
  5. 4 : km 3.3 - alt. 232 m - Stairs on the left
  6. 5 : km 3.66 - alt. 186 m - Path to the Mersulaccia fountain
  7. 6 : km 4.3 - alt. 106 m - Return to car park on the right
  8. S/E : km 4.44 - alt. 109 m - Convent car park

Notes

Water points:
- Mersulaccia Fountain (which supplied the aqueduct that can be seen at the end of the route).
- Village fountains.
In the village:
- Shelters - Facilities - Amenities.
- Hotels, restaurants, bars, other shops.

Worth a visit

Things to discover along the route.
All points of interest on the Journey Through Time tour are:
- Saint Francis Convent, Muzzello Quarry, Rivarola Tomb, Moulin di u Gallu, La Magnanerie.
- The beautiful narrow streets of Oletta
- Saint Andrew's Church - A Chjesa Sant'Andria.
- Bust of Maria Gentile: 18th-century Corsican resistance fighter and information panel about her history.
- The exceptional views from the Montaghjò district, the highest point of the village, or the church square.
- The working bread oven.
- The old communal paths that connected the village to the convent and then to the coast.
- The garden plots cultivated in the past (some of which are still in use today).
- The Mersulaccia fountain.
- The aqueduct spanning the dry riverbed (end of the route).

  • Alternative: visit to the Romanacce hamlet with the Maison du Miracle and Sant'Anton Chapel

From early June to late September: visit the craft market held in the convent square (Tuesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.).

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 12 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
User 16721093

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Route tracking in village not very clear, otherwise no issues.

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User 16316900

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 20, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk, we enjoyed this partly shaded hike with beautiful views of the Corsican landscape. It's a great opportunity to discover the charming little village of Oletta. It's a family hike, but there's a steep climb to reach the House of Miracles. We recommend this hike.

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h.szeflinski
h.szeflinski

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 22, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very nice
The upper part of the village offers a beautiful panorama

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Marc Vandevelde
Marc Vandevelde
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 18, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

An easy and beautiful walk offering spectacular views and the chance to visit a beautiful Balagnaise village.

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Phil Decr
Phil Decr

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant short walk that takes us along pleasant, well-marked paths to the beautiful little streets of the typical village of Oletta.

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gillesleys
gillesleys
• Edited:

Thank you for this lovely walk, for taking our comments into consideration and for your response.

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CHJASSI DI U NEBBIU
CHJASSI DI U NEBBIU

Hello gillesleys and Martine DD,
Thank you for visiting this route and for your comments.
At point 4, the grass has grown well and the municipal services should take care of it in mid-June. Regarding the signage, I will add a directional sign in French indicating "couvent" instead of "Cunventu" and "fontaine mersolaccia". I will also add a "fontaine" sign at point 5.
However, I don't see where you could have walked an extra half hour because of the vegetation.

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gillesleys
gillesleys

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 03, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We really enjoyed this route, which offers a wonderful introduction to Oleta and the House of Miracles. We lost the trail a little in the village (GPS problem). After point 4, the path that descends to the right of the road is very overgrown with brambles and tall grass. I think it's better to go back to point 2 to descend, and we missed the path to the fountain (didn't see it?).

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Martine DD
Martine DD

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 31, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Problem with signposting on the way back from Olmetta to the convent. As a result, we had to battle through sarsaparilla and aggressive brambles and walked a good half hour longer than planned.

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CHJASSI DI U NEBBIU
CHJASSI DI U NEBBIU

Hello. Thank you for your participation and your top ratings.
You are right, in urban areas, there may be some confusion when turning into an alleyway, as the single address sign is located at the very beginning.
I have therefore identified three cases where walkers may find themselves in a cul-de-sac, facing a private village house (in which case, they simply need to turn around and find the public passage a few metres away).
As for the route marking, I cannot intervene in this area, as paint markings and cairns are logically prohibited in alleys.
However, with the help of the local council, I am considering installing specific signage that meets the requirements for public footpaths.

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Tocsin
Tocsin

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 01, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Circular completed at the end of October, so no crowds.
Well designed for exploring this pretty town and its surroundings.
Did it with children aged 5-8 without any problems.
Overall, very well marked, but a few uncertainties at times (such as whether a passage was private or not); the trail simplifies this kind of hesitation.
Thank you for this route!

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CHJASSI DI U NEBBIU
CHJASSI DI U NEBBIU

Thank you for stopping by and for your comments. They will certainly encourage others to come and discover this lovely walk.
Kind regards

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Auluse
Auluse

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 16, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very pleasant hike, the climb up from Oletta is a bit tough but the view is beautiful.
Well signposted and shaded.
Definitely worth doing again.

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CHJASSI DI U NEBBIU
CHJASSI DI U NEBBIU

Two trips on the same day on this route, which, paradoxically, is not very busy, is great! And thank you also for your comments. As you pointed out, most of the route is shaded. And then there is our village of Oletta, which, without being chauvinistic, is well worth a visit.
Best regards

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vmf16
vmf16

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 11, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A wonderful walk, culminating in a visit to Oletta with superb views of the plain and the sea.

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