From Catastaghju to Cozzano

The start of this route, which forms the third stage of the Mare a Mare Centre hiking trail, is at the Catastaghju stopover lodge, just before the end of the RD445 in the municipality of San Gavino di Fiumorbo.
There is a car park at this point.

(S) From the lodge, follow the road towards the head of the Abatesco valley until you reach a small car park marking the end of the road. There, a path starts on the right towards the Col de Laparo. It climbs gradually along the left bank of the Ruisseau de Macini, offering a view of the waterfall of the same name.

(1) After leaving the scrubland and entering a pine forest, cross the Laparo and Cardiccia streams in turn. The path continues to climb along the right bank of the stream before entering a beech forest, where it continues its ascent in switchbacks.

You emerge from the forest shortly afterwards and reach a small ridge. Continue to the right, climbing the ridge whilst enjoying the view over the eastern plain and the Tuscan archipelago on a clear day. You arrive at the Scanciatella sheepfolds.

(2) Enter the beech forest once more. The path runs along the hillside and crosses several streams before branching off to the left and climbing steeply in tight hairpin bends to the Col de Laparo, where there is an orientation table: views over the Fium’Orbu and Taravu valleys.

(3) After crossing the^GR®20at the pass, the path descends rapidly back into the forest and crosses three streams before joining a forest track.

(4) Take this track on the left. Ignore another track branching off to the left and continue to a clearing bordering the track at a bend.

(5) From there, turn right onto a path that starts a little further down. Walk through the undergrowth, cross three streams whilst following the hillside, and rejoin the track.

(6) Follow it to the right, heading south-west

(7) Leave it again to take a path on the left which crosses it twice before rejoining it.

(8) At the end of a hairpin bend, leave the track and rejoin it further down.

(9) Turn left, leave the track once more to follow the path which will cross it several more times before running alongside the right bank of the Ruisseau de Mezzanu to reach the RD69 at Ponte di Mezzanu at the entrance to the village of Cozzano.

(10) Ignore the Mare a Mare route; continue left along the road towards the village centre, then turn right to reach the stopover lodge a few hundred metres further on (E).

At the very least: make sure you have suitable hiking gear, walking shoes and a water bottle.
Water source and shelters at the Scanciatella Sheepfolds.
In winter, make sure you have the right kit for snowy conditions.

There is a lodge (accommodation and meals) at the start of the walk (open only during the summer months).

In Cozzano (Cuzza), you’ll find grocery shops and restaurants.

The beech forest is a remarkable natural and historical site where ‘FORTEF (Forêt Terre et Force du Fium’Orbu)’, founded in 1928, revolutionised the region’s landscape. It was a forestry company which, between 1930 and 1935, gave Prunelli a real boost, even enabling it to become one of the first municipalities in Corsica to be electrified.

A cableway was installed from the stopover lodge to transport logs and tree trunks from the Col de Bianca to the Agnatello sawmill, where furniture bearing the Fortef mark was manufactured. To facilitate transport, the timber was cut into sections halfway along the route, at Catastaghju.
It then continued its journey via various routes: by road, by the railway line that crossed the island and passed through Agnatello, or by sea. A harbour and a tower were built on Calzarellu Beach.

Points of interest: panoramic views of the two valleys, crossing two rivers, forests (Corsica’s finest beech, birch and pine woods…), wild flowers (caution: purple foxglove is poisonous), wildlife (red kite, buzzard, one of the few places where the dormouse can be found).

Activities: horse riding, backpacking (lodge).