Staying near the Bavella pass: the mountains 55 minutes away, the gulf below
Photo: Jean-Pol GRANDMONT, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
The Bavella pass is about a 55-minute drive from Casa Mare e Macchia. You drive up through the villages of the Alta Rocca, walk at the foot of the granite needles, and come back down to sleep above the Gulf of Valinco, in Propriano. You keep the same room for the sea and for the mountains.
The drive
55 minutes from the house
Photo: Philippe Dollé, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5
To get up there, you cross the Alta Rocca: the road goes through Sainte-Lucie-de-Tallano and then Levie. Allow about 55 minutes to the pass, and around forty minutes to Zonza. In July and August, allow longer: these are mountain roads. Possible stops on the way are on our page on the Alta Rocca.
What to do at the pass
The needles and the pass
At an altitude of 1,218 metres, the pass opens at the foot of the granite needles. The pass and the needles together have been a listed site since 1954, covering 1,522 hectares, between Quenza, Zonza and Conca. At the pass stands a statue of Notre-Dame-des-Neiges.
The Punta di a Vacca
Of the seven towers of Asinau, the Alta Rocca tourist office presents the Punta di a Vacca, at 1,611 metres, as the only one accessible to hikers.
The Trou de la Bombe
The tourist office describes a very accessible hike, where only the approach to the hole is tricky. It gives neither duration nor elevation gain: ask locally before you set off.
The GR 20
The island's great long-distance trail runs at the foot of the needles.
The walks, the GR 20 and the rules for the massif's canyons are in our article on the Bavella pass.
Planning your day from the house
You set off after breakfast, served to suite guests from 8am, and come back down for a swim at the end of the day.
Villa guests can ask for a picnic basket “for a day in a cove or on the trails”. Between mid-June and mid-September, a high fire risk can close access to some massifs. Check the day's map on risque-prevention-incendie.fr/corse before you leave.
When you get back, the house pool is waiting for you, heated and open all year. For suite guests, drinks at the Pool Lounge are served from 6pm to 8pm, and L'Atelier des Sens lays its long table at 8pm, by reservation, on opening evenings.
Suite or villa?
As a couple, Luna is level with the pool, for that swim when you get back. Nina, on the top floor, has its large private terrace, the sea on one side, the mountains on the other.
For four, the whole villa gives you the kitchen, the garden and the pool to yourselves, with the picnic basket on request for the day.
An impeccable villa, the most incredible views. Our hosts Andrée and Alessandro were charming.Matthew · Airbnb
Frequently asked questions
About a 55-minute drive, via Sainte-Lucie-de-Tallano and Levie. Longer in July and August.
No. The road goes all the way up to the pass. For walking, the tourist office describes the Trou de la Bombe as a very accessible hike, and the Punta di a Vacca as the only one of the Asinau towers accessible to hikers.
Yes. With a 55-minute drive, you can swim in the morning and walk at the pass in the afternoon, or the other way round.
Book direct
The mountains by day, the heated pool in the evening, above the gulf. Book your suite or the villa direct: the best price, no commission.
À prestu.
“See you soon” · Casa Mare e Macchia · Propriano