Photo: Myrabella, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Roccapina is on the Sartenais coast, about a 35-minute drive from Casa Mare e Macchia. A granite lion looks down over a turquoise cove, a tower from 1610 completes the site, and a waymarked path starts from the car park. A morning is enough for the viewpoint; the beach, below, takes a little more effort.
The drive
35 minutes from the house
Allow about 35 minutes' drive, longer in July and August. The Conservatoire du littoral gives a car park on the RT 40, with direct access to the site.
What to do at Roccapina
Photo: Agence Guddelmoni
The lion and the cove
The Conservatoire describes “a cove of pale sand and turquoise water, overlooked by a rocky ridge”, and on that ridge a granite lion gazing out to sea. The protected site covers 779.9 hectares, across Sartène and Monacia-d'Aullène, and is part of the Natura 2000 network.
The 1610 tower
The site still has a round tower, one of the last built in Corsica, in 1610, by Giovanni du Cauro.
Two waymarked paths
The viewpoint path, Un caminu di a Punta, takes 45 minutes, with free access from the RT 40 car park. The oriu path, U caminu di l'Oriu, is a 20-minute walk that is part of the visit to the site's visitor centre.
Erbaju, on foot only
Further on, along the path, Erbaju beach stretches for 2 km, where the Ortolo flows into the sea. It has neither road nor car park: Visit Corsica says you reach it by the footpath from Roccapina beach.
Planning your day from the house
The viewpoint is the safe bet: a 45-minute walk from the car park, with no need to rely on the state of a track. The beach, below, is reached by a track whose condition no official source describes. Do not plan on driving down without asking locally first.
Across the whole site, the Conservatoire prohibits camping, bivouacking, fires, dumping waste and the use of motor vehicles. Take your rubbish home with you.
Set off after breakfast and you are back in the early afternoon for the pool, heated and open all year. Villa guests can ask for a picnic basket to have lunch on site. In the evening, the chef's table is at 8pm, by reservation, on the ground floor.
Between Senetosa and Roccapina, the Sartenais coast passes through Tizzano and Tradicettu. Closer to the house, Sartène is a quarter of an hour away. The other outings, with their driving times, are in our guide to the area.
Suite or villa?
As a couple, a suite is all you need. Luna is level with the pool, Nina has its large private terrace on the top floor. Both are 30 m².
For four, the whole villa gives you the equipped kitchen, the garden and the pool to yourselves, and the picnic basket on request for the outing.
A very beautiful house just before Propriano, magnificent view over the bay and the mountains.Claudia · Booking
Frequently asked questions
About a 35-minute drive to the car park marked on the RT 40. Longer in July and August.
A track leads down to the beach, but no official source describes its condition. The viewpoint walk, however, starts from the roadside car park.
45 minutes, with free access from the RT 40 car park, according to the Conservatoire du littoral.
Book direct
The Roccapina lion in the morning, the pool in the afternoon, the long 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