Southern Corsica · Gulf of Valinco
What to do around Propriano
The house guide
The coves you reach by sea, the granite villages, the prehistoric sites and the mountains under an hour away (with the driving time from the house).
The sea
The coves of Valinco
Between Campomoro and Senetosa the coast has neither road nor house: more than 2,200 hectares owned by the Conservatoire du littoral, without a single way in by car. You come by boat (that is the normal way) or on foot along the coastal paths, but each cove has its own starting point, and it remains a proper hike.
Cala d'Agulia
By boat, or the path from Campomoro
Cala di Conca
By boat, or a loop walk from Senetosa
Cala Longa
By boat, or the path from TizzanoLeaving from Propriano harbour
Getting there
No road: you get there by sea
You board at the harbour, at the bottom of the road. You round the Campomoro headland and the coast unfolds: twenty kilometres or so without a road or a house, all the way to the Senetosa lighthouse.
Tell us the day before what would make you happy (a boat to hire, a day out with a skipper, the whole day) and we take care of the rest.
Leaving from Propriano harbourThe town
Propriano, the harbour below
The house looks down over the town: the centre and the harbour are three minutes away.
At the bottom of the road
A working harbour, not a backdrop
Fishing boats beside the yachts, ferries leaving for Marseille all year round, and quaysides that come alive after dark. You go down for dinner, for a drink, or to board a boat for the coves.
Three beaches are minutes away: Mancinu, on our own road; Puraja, a step from the centre and known for its sunsets; and Arena Bianca, a little further towards Capu Lauroso.
The centre and the harbour, 3 min away
The land
The villages, the stone and the mountains
Four places we recommend to every guest, from the closest to the highest.
25 minutes away
Campomoro and its Genoese tower
The largest Genoese tower in Corsica: fifteen metres tall, with a star-shaped fortified wall, listed as a historic monument since 1992. You can visit for €2.50, with a permanent exhibition on the towers and the Barbary raids.
Below it, a sheltered bay of clear water and a gently shelving beach of fine sand, ideal for swimming with children. This is where the coastal path to the Senetosa lighthouse begins.
about 25 min by car15 minutes away
Sartène, the town of granite
Narrow lanes, grey granite façades, the old Santa Anna quarter where getting lost is part of the pleasure. The town's Musée d'archéologie de la Corse (Corsican archaeology museum) holds a significant collection of statue-menhirs. Entry is €4.
It is also the heart of the Sartenais wine appellation, whose vineyards spread across the hills of the gulf, from Olmeto to Belvédère-Campomoro.
about 15 min by car
25 minutes away
Filitosa, Corsica before history
Corsica's major prehistoric site, listed as a historic monument. Its carved-faced statue-menhirs were revealed to the archaeologist Roger Grosjean by the owner of the land, on one condition: that everything unearthed should stay where it was found.
Allow an hour and a quarter for the visit, between the standing stones, the museum and the thousand-year-old olive tree. The site is open from 1 April to 2 November.
about 25 min by carUnder an hour away
Sea in the morning, Bavella in the afternoon
The pass tops out at 1,218 metres, at the foot of its granite needles, a site protected since 1954 across more than 1,500 hectares. The road climbs up through Sainte-Lucie-de-Tallano and Levie, across the villages of the Alta Rocca.
That contrast is what gives the house its name: between sea and maquis, you can swim in the morning and walk in the mountains in the afternoon.
about 55 min by car
And also
What we recommend nearby
The places we send our guests to, from the closest to the furthest.
Les Bains de Baracci
Naturally hot sulphur springs five minutes from the house: thermal pool, sauna, hammam and treatments.
The beach at Portigliolo
Almost four kilometres of fine sand, protected by the Conservatoire du littoral. A dune belt classified Natura 2000, home to the crisped bugloss, a critically endangered flower.
The bridge at Spin'a Cavallu
A bridge known as Genoese, medieval in date, spanning the Rizzanese: sixty-four metres long, eight metres above the river, a semicircular arch of grey granite. Listed as a historic monument in 1976.
L'Alta Rocca and its villages
Sainte-Lucie-de-Tallano and its working olive mill, Levie and its museum where the Lady of Bonifacio rests, the oldest known woman in Corsica. This is inland Corsica, the one the beach guides leave out.
Roccapina and its lion
A granite rock shaped like a sleeping lion, a Genoese tower, and a turquoise cove below. The viewpoint from the road gives you the sight with no effort; the beach has to be earned along a rough track.
The vineyards of Sartène
The appellation covers Sartène, Fozzano, Giuncheto, Grossa, Olmeto and Belvédère-Campomoro, exactly the landscape that surrounds the house. Every Friday the tourist office takes visitors round one of the estates, by reservation.
Planning your day
What you can do today
Without spending the day in the car: every journey time is measured from the house.
Just minutes away
- The beaches of Propriano5 min
- The harbour and its boats3 min
- Les Bains de Baracci5 min
- The beach at Portigliolo10 min
Within half an hour
- The bridge at Spin'a Cavallu10 min away
- Sartène and its vineyards15 min
- Campomoro and its tower25 min
- Filitosa25 min
- L'Alta Roccafrom 25 min
A little further
- Roccapina and its lion35 min
- The Bavella pass55 min
- Bonifacio and its cliffs1 hr
- Ajaccio, the imperial city1 hr
Good to know
What's open, and when
The site of Filitosa is open from 1st April to 2 November.
The Campomoro tower is open to visitors from April to early October.
The Bains de Baracci close in winter. Check with the baths before you go.
The coves and the Bavella pass are open all season. In July and August, allow more time on the road.
Every evening
The sun goes down over the Gulf of Valinco
It is the moment we like best: the light comes down onto the sea, and the gulf changes colour.
During your stay
We know the area
Coves, tables, days out at sea, villages: tell us what you feel like and we arrange it, in French or in English.
The services of the houseStaying in Propriano
Staying near…
The blog
Go further
All of it starts from the house
Two suites, a whole villa and the chef's table, in Propriano, just minutes from everything you have just seen.
À prestu.
“See you soon” · Casa Mare e Macchia · Propriano