Talasani and surroundings

• The village
• History
• Situation
• La Castagniccia
• Local places of interest
• Beaches
• Walking
• Restaurants
• Distances to facilities

Talasani could be described as a fairly typical Castagniccia village. In the mountains, within sight of the sea, and enjoying a mild microclimate, it is pleasant all year round.

It has a baroque church and some interesting historical connections, but its main assets are its peace and quiet and magnificent scenery which surrounds it.

That peace and quiet is disturbed at least once a year, for a week in late summer, when Talasani forms the centre of the Settembrinu music festival.

Talasani belongs to the piève Tavagna, which was occupied by the Turks in 1541 and burned by the Genoese in 1565.

	It was the birthplace of Luiggi Giafferi (1668-1748), fighter for Corsican independence alongside Ghjacintu Paoli (the father of Pascal Paoli), elected Général de la Nation in 1730, and Prime Minister under King Theodore.

It was also the birthplace of at least two poets: Gian Paolo Borghetti (1816-1897) and Petru Borghetti (1894-1927).

Talasani (altitude 330m.) lies at the top of a green and peaceful valley stretching four kilometres down to the sea and filled with chestnut trees and evergreen cork oaks. Because the surrounding hills protect the valley from most winds, it enjoys a microclimate where the temperature generally remains mild even in the depths of winter.

Signposted paths allow easy exploration of the area, but even the roads between Talsani and the surrounding villages are quiet enough to make walking a pleasant experience. You're quite likely to meet goats and cows on the road, but if you're very lucky you may even see a wild boar: there are plenty of them in the valley, even if they are a bit shy.

La Castagniccia, Corsica's chestnut-growing region, deserves its reputation as the greenest part of the island. It was for centuries also the most prosperous and highly populated part. All that's changed now, but the area has been left with a rich historical and cultural heritage. Narrow roads and donkey tracks connect innumerable picturesque mountain villages, most of them containing baroque churches and offering magnificent views down towards the Costa Verde.

Cascade de l'Ucelluline (12 km)

The road between San-Nicolao and Santa-Maria-Poghju passes through some of the most dramatic scenery in this part of the island. Two tunnels and a high stone bridge take you past the waterfall of l'Ucelluline, a wonderful place to cool off on a hot summer's day.

A Porta (25 km)

The most interesting feature of this picturesque mountain village (once capital of the Castagniccia region) is the 17th. Century parish church, with its baroque façade and its amazing church tower dating from 1720.

Penta di Casinca (19 km)

Classified since 1973 as "Site Pittoresque du Département de la Corse", the historic mountain village of Penta di Casinca is renowned for its well-preserved architecture, its panoramic views, and its parish church with square bell tower dating from 1695.

For more information visit the official site.

Orezza (30 km)

The Orezza thermal waters with their rich iron content have been appreciated since Roman times, and in the 19th. century health establishments were set up and Orezza became a popular spa resort.

Today the water is bottled and exported throughout the world. The Orezza site, open to the public, is a beautiful example of 19th. century industrial architecture, set in the midst of the Castagniccia chestnut forest.

For more information visit the official site.

The A.D.E.C.E.C. museum (20 km)

The A.D.E.C.E.C. museum at Cervione, housed in the old seminary and palace of the bishops of Aleria, offers mainly information on Corsican archaeology, history, ethnography, culture and religious art.

For more information visit the official site.

Pascal Paoli Museum (36 km)

The Musée départmental Pascal Paoli in Merusaglia (Morosaglia) is devoted to Pascal Paoli (1725-1807), the leader of Corsica during its period of independence in the 18th. century, and probably the world's best-known Corsican (except for a certain Monsieur Bonaparte, perhaps). Situated in the house of his birth, it also contains his remains, moved here from Westminster Abbey, London, in 1889. The museum doesn't have a web site, but you should be able to find all necessary practical information here and here.

Figaretto (8 km)

Our nearest beach. It's sandy, and doesn't get too crowded even in summer.

Linguizzetta (30 km)

At more than 4 kilometers long, it's one of Europe's longest naturist beaches.

Bravone (30 km)

Unusually for this part of Corsica, the coast at Bravone is rocky, with lots of small coves and beaches.

Only 250 years ago there were hardly any roads in Corsica - travel was either along the coast by boat, or by horse, mule and donkey over a network of tracks going from village to village. Many of these old tracks now allow visitors a wonderful opportunity to discover Corsica on foot, avoiding most modern roads and traffic. The area around Maison Borghetti is no exception, and many signposted paths connect Talasani with the surrounding villages.

As well as the official paths, we can show you plenty of other local walks which are well worth doing. Large-scale IGN maps of the area are available on request.

Some of our favorite walks are…

• Le Calvaire. Not as hard a walk as it sounds! A half-hour climb above the village takes you via the ruined monastery of Tavagna (now a private residence) to a 506 metre hilltop with a breathtaking view of 60 kilometres of coastline stretching from Cap Corse to Linguizzetta.

  

• To Peru-Casevechje and Casevechje: an 8 kilometre round trip takes you over the hill behind Talasani and through two of our neighbouring villages. As the road ends at Casevechje, you're unlikely to meet much traffic on the way.

  

• To the Pont de l'Enfer: an easy 4,5 kilometre walk (there are relatively few hills on the way) takes you to the Pont de l'Enfer, an old stone bridge over a mountain stream. A wonderful place for a dip or a picnic, and the starting point of several signposted paths.

  

• To Velone: a round trip of about two hours takes you via mountain paths to Velone, one of the best preserved of the neighbouring villages, then via a very quiet road to the church of St. Jean Baptiste, and via a path across the valley back to Talasani.

  

• To the abandoned villages of Fiuminale. When roads were built in the area, the villages of Fiuminale Soprano and Fiuminale Sottano were somehow forgotten, and gradually the people moved away. You can walk there from Talasani via Velone (see above) and return via the Pont de l'Enfer (see above), a round trip of 5-6 hours plus stops. If you're feeling less energetic, you can drive to the Pont de l'Enfer and follow the river up to Fiuminale Sottano, a round trip of about two hours.

  

• To the sea: this 2,5-hour downhill walk takes you through the neighbouring village of Poggio-Mezzana, arriving at the coast at L'Avilanella.

  

There is a restaurant within walking distance of Maison Borghetti (1,5 km.), open every day during the summer but only on Saturdays out of season, and in summer another one in the village (every day, five minutes walk). There are also restaurants at Folelli (9km.) and Moriani Plage (8km.).

Sea	8 km.	Figaretto
Tennis	8 km.	Tennis Club de la Costa Verde, Moriani Plage 20230 San Nicolao, téléphone : 0495 38 55 10, mail: tc.costaverde@cegetel.net
Horse-riding	8 km.	Les Ecuries de la Costa Verde Moriani Plage
Walking	0 km.	click for more information
River	4,5 km.	Pont de l'Enfer
Swimming pool	43 km.	PISCINE DU FANGO Avenue Jean Zuccarelli 20200 BASTIA téléphone : 0495 32 42 15 PISCINE LA CARBONITE Route front mer 20600 BASTIA téléphone : 0495 33 56 62
Golf	26 km.	Bastia Golf Club
Station	20 km.	Casamozza
Shops	9 km.	Folelli, Moriani Plage