Staying near theAlta Rocca: inland villages from 25 minutes away
Photo: Wikipedro, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Sainte-Lucie-de-Tallano is about a 25-minute drive from Casa Mare e Macchia, Levie 35. This is the Alta Rocca, inland Corsica: villages, a museum that holds the oldest known woman on the island, a Bronze Age fortified site, and the road that climbs to Bavella. In the evening, you come back down above the Gulf of Valinco.
The drive
Starting 25 minutes from the house
From the house, allow about 25 minutes to Sainte-Lucie-de-Tallano, 35 to Levie, 40 to the Cucuruzzu site and 45 to Zonza. The same road carries on up to the Bavella pass, 55 minutes away. In July and August, allow longer.
What to do in the Alta Rocca
Sainte-Lucie-de-Tallano and its olive mill
Sainte-Lucie-de-Tallano still has a working olive mill.
Levie and the Alta Rocca museum
The Levie museum holds the skeleton of the Lady of Bonifacio, the oldest known woman in Corsica. The Alta Rocca tourist office gives these opening hours:
- from June to September, every day except Sundays and public holidays, from 10am to 5pm;
- from October to May, Tuesday to Saturday, from 10am to 5pm;
- exceptionally closed on 15 August.
Admission is €4, €3 at the reduced or family rate, and free for under-10s.
Cucuruzzu and Capula
On the Levie plateau, Cucuruzzu is one of the few casteddi in Corsica, the fortified settlements of the Bronze Age. From 1 May to the end of September, craftspeople demonstrate their skills there, Wednesday to Sunday, from 11am to 5pm. The tourist office warns that access may be restricted from mid-June to mid-September when the fire risk is high. The prehistoric sites nearby are compared in our article on Filitosa.
The Mare a Mare Sud
This hiking route links Porto-Vecchio to Propriano in about five days, across the Alta Rocca, waymarked in orange. The tourist office says it is open to everyone, even less experienced walkers. Propriano is its western end. The trail is described in our article on getting to Propriano.
Planning your day from the house
Choose the day before you hit the road. The Cucuruzzu craftspeople are there Wednesday to Sunday. The Levie museum closes on Sundays in summer, and on Sundays and Mondays from October to May. Between May and September, on a Wednesday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday, you can see both.
Set off after breakfast, served to suite guests from 8am to 10.30am. Villa guests can ask for a picnic basket for the day. In summer, check the fire-risk map on risque-prevention-incendie.fr/corse before you leave.
You can combine the villages and the Bavella pass in the same day, since it is the same road. When you get back, the house pool is heated and open all year, and L'Atelier des Sens lays its long table at 8pm, by reservation, with cooking that sits between Corsica and Italy.
Suite or villa?
As a couple, a suite is all you need: Luna level with the pool, Nina with its large terrace on the top floor, 30 m² each. Stays are two nights minimum.
For four, the whole villa gives you the kitchen, the garden and the pool to yourselves.
Frequently asked questions
Sainte-Lucie-de-Tallano is about a 25-minute drive, Levie 35, Zonza 45. Longer in July and August.
No. From June to September, it opens every day except Sundays and public holidays. From October to May, Tuesday to Saturday.
From 1 May to the end of September, Wednesday to Sunday, from 11am to 5pm, according to the Alta Rocca tourist office.
Book direct
The Alta Rocca villages by day, the heated pool and the chef's table in the evening. Book your suite or the villa direct: the best price, no commission.
À prestu.
“See you soon” · Casa Mare e Macchia · Propriano