FRANCE - CORSICA
Corsica - A Mountain in the Sea October 18-28, 2010
Ajaccio – Piana – Corte – Cap Corse – Ajaccio
 Corsica is one of the world’s great destinations for hiking. The French call it “L’ile de beauté, or The Island of Beauty, and they are absolutely right! Corsica is spectacular in every sense of the word. It’s a timeless walk into a world of unparalleled beauty with the authentic culture of France and Italy that is simply no longer found on the Continent. Corsica’s landscape is dominated by imposing, coast-hugging mountains overhanging deep bays in the west and traversed by numerous east-west valleys.
This unique island paradise is tailor-made for walking. Its land area is compact but it features a wide variety of climate and scenery. In the span of a day, one can cross from Mediterranean beach to verdant green valley to rocky peaks. Corsica’s interior is rustic, unpopulated, and unspoiled with ancient villages clinging to the sides of valleys. Locals live a quiet, subsistence-style life, yet the island offers the best of fine food, wine, accommodations, and of course, spectacular natural beauty. We invite you to join us in this island paradise! Brush up on you French and Italian, sharpen your palette in preparation for gourmet food and fantastic wine, lace those boots up and come walk with us!
CORSICA ITINERARY 2010
B = Breakfast included, L = Lunch included, D = Dinner included.
Day 1 – Ajaccio – Piana: We meet in Ajaccio at 9:00 a.m., introduce ourselves, meet our amiable and knowledgeable local guide Anthony and head to Piana. Our route follows the coastal road crossing Tiuccia, the Sagone Gulf and Cargèse. On our way, we’ll stop for lunch near the beautiful white sand beach of Sagone. In Piana we’ll check into our hotel and then head for an exploration of this wonderful community or we might take a walk to Turghiu Tower. The view from the top of this tower is wonderful and offers us our first taste of the magnificent scenery that awaits us on our exploration of Corsica. Piana itself is a sleepy, picturesque village overlooking the Gulf of Porto. Piana still retains its charm and character and is comprised of an eighteenth-century church and square surrounded by a cluster of pink houses. Evening meal at the hotel. Night in Piana. L, D
 Day 2 – Calanches of Piana: Ah! After a wonderful breakfast in our charming hotel, we head to the famous cliffs of the Calanches of Piana. These colourful, high cliffs, some rising to over 900 feet, are a Unesco protected World Heritage site and take their name from calanca, the Corsican word for creek or inlet. The beauty of the cliffs comes from the vivid orange and pink rock masses and pinnacles which dramatically blend into the dark blue sea. Susceptable to unusual patterns of erosion, these cliffs have long been associated with different animals and other figures, the most famous being the Tête de Chien (Dog's Head). Other figures we might see include a Moor's head, a bishop, a bear and a tortoise. For lunch we’ll stop in Porto. In the afternoon you are on your own and can choose from a variety of activities including the aquarium, the Genoese Tower or you might even rent a boat and try your hand at diving in the natural reserve of Scandola. Dinner at our hotel in Piana. B, D
 Day 3 – Girolata: After breakfast we drive to Bocca a Crocce where we’ll begin our day’s explorations. Bocca a Crocce is the starting point for the Girolata trail and offers us access first to a cove known as Cala di Tuara and then to the tiny fishing haven of Girolata. Surrounded by a wall of vivid red rocks, Girolata is an idyllic haven for travellers, is connected by a mere mule track to the rest of Corsica and sports a stately watchtower built by the Genoese in the 17th century. We’ll enjoy a leisurely lunch in a small Girolata restaurant right on the beach. And of course, their specialty is seafood!
After lunch we’ll take time to wander this quaint village before returning to Porto by boat. If for some reason the sea is “up”, we’ll return by the trail we came down on. If we return by boat it offers us the opportunity to visit the Scandola Natural Reserve. Afterwards, we’ll relax for a bit in Porto before heading back to our hotel in Piana for the evening. Dinner at the hotel. Night in Piana. B, L, D
 Day 4 – From Piana to Corté: Today, we leave our hotel in Piana and head to the center of the island. Our journey will take us through Ota where we will see some beautiful Genoese bridges and to Evisa where we’ll visit the Aïtone natural pools. The Aitone forest is a mature conifer forest composed mainly of Corsican Pine but with a sprinkling of spruce and birch as well. Evisa itself is one of Corsica’s most beautiful mountain villages and offers some of the best views on the island. Known locally as the pearl of the mountains, Evisa is a great spot to sit and enjoy a chestnut beer in the village café. The village is surrounded by age old chestnut trees and chestnuts were the main staple of Corsica for centuries. Chestnuts replaced regular flour in baking and were also used to make a hardy and delicious beer.
Above Evisa is the Aitone Forest and the Vol de Verghio and below are the spectacular cliffs of the Gorges de Spelunca. After our crossing through the forest we reach Calacuccia and its beautiful lake where we’ll enjoy a sumptuous picnic lunch. In the afternoon, we head to Corte and check into our hotel, wonderfully located on the bank of a beautiful river and offering many bathing and walking opportunities. Nestled at the foot of the island’s highest mountains, Corte is Corsica’s ancient capital. You will have the opportunity to visit Corte and its museum located in the citadel perched on a huge promontory in the centre of the city. Dinner in a local “auberge” Night in Corte. BD
 Day 5 – Lakes of Melo and Capitello: Today, we head up the valley of the Gorge de la Restonica to explore the upper reaches of this high and most dramatic of Corsica’s upland valleys. Our trail takes us uphill towards Lac de Melo and a superb picnic lunch with wonderful panoramic views of the Restonica valley. Those with a bit more energy will want to head up above Lac de Melo to the second lake, Capitello. Dinner and overnight in Corte. B, L, D
Day 6 – Tavignano Gorges: From the centre of Corté we head to the beautiful and dramatic Tavignano Gorge and an easy four-hour walk through some of Corsica’s best scenery. Ancient abandoned vineyards and olive groves dot the sides of the valley and Lariccio Pine tress line our trail in different spots. We might spot in Eagle in the Gorge and we’ll certainly find a perfect spot for a swim in the river before heading back to Corte for the evening. Night in Corte. B, L
Day 7 – From Corte to the Cap Corse: Today we journey from the centre of Corsica to the other side of the island. We will cross Bastia before arriving in Erbalunga, a picturesque fishing village with an atmosphere of timeless elegance. This artist’s haunt has remained remarkably unspoiled through the years and makes a great base to explore the engaging terrain of Cap Corse and its numerous splendid 19th-century mansions built by prosperous traders. B, D
We will drop our luggage at our hotel and then return to Bastia for lunch. Bastia is one of the most beautiful towns in Corsica and will delight our senses with its wrought iron balconies, time-worn ancient houses and building facades festooned with multicoloured linens. In our free time we can visit the Ethnographic Museum and the Museum of the Sea, the various churches and chapels, a chiselled silver Assumption done by an artist in the 17th century and the Black Christ of the Sainte-Croix Church.
 Then its off to Cardo, a village above Bastia where we will visit one of the most beautiful Corsican stone houses in the area and enjoy the panoramas of the surrounding countryside. ? Day 8 – From Maccinaggio to Barcaggio - Cap Corse: Perfect! A great walking trail along the sea.
Starting in Maccinagio, on the east side of the Cap Corse, we will walk, literally, to the end, or northern tip, of Corsica! This path was used by customs officers in past times and is now the best way to discover the North tip of the island. Here we will find some tiny but beautiful creeks and some of the most famous Corsican Genoese towers surrounded with a startling background of turquoise water. The panorama is gorgeous and with clear weather, we can see the Italian island of Elba. Today we’ll enjoy a leisurely picnic, swim in the Mediterranean if we want, and in general, relax to the life rhythm of Corsica. After our picnic, we will walk to the small village of Barcaggio before heading back to our hotel in Erbalunga. Night in Erbalunga. B, L
 Day 9 – Nonza – Negru – Patrimonio: Today’s program starts with a transfer to the opposite side of the Cap Corse. Cap Corse is a 24 mile extension out to sea of Corsica’s mountainous backbone. A small road provides us the opportunity to explore this unique part of Corsica and to discover its picturesque pebble beaches (including Marine de Negru) and little ports nestled in the folds of the coast. We’ll see Romanesque chapels and churches, old mills, the sanctuary of Lavasina, old mills and, of course, Genoese towers. The really ambiltious amoung us can attempt the ascent of Monte Stello at about 4,000 feet.
After a picnic lunch, a walk to the hamlet of Negru and a look at how the locals make their own special home “brew”, we’ll make our way back to Erbalunga. If time permits, we’ll make a stop in Patrimonio, high in the heart of wine country. B, L
Day 10 – Erbalunga – Ajaccio: Today we leave the beautiful village of Erbalunga and make our way back to Ajaccio. On the way we’ll travel through several small mountain villages and stop in the Vizzavona forest for a short walk that is famous among the local inhabitants. Bring your swim suit today for a dip in the natural pools we’ll find in the heart of this beautiful forest. After our swim, we will stop for lunch in Vizzavona or Bocognano. Late in the afternoon we’ll arrive in Ajaccio and our hotel downtown, close to the old typical port where it will be easy to find a restaurant for our last dinner together. In Ajaccio, you can visit Napoleon’s house where he was born and the Fesch Museum which is famous for its paintings. B, D
 Day 11 – Ajaccio: Say our fond farewells and depart for home or other wonderful destinations! Transportation is provided to the airport or to the harbour station in Ajaccio. B
THE DETAILS
Dates: Oct 18-28, 2010 Land Cost:
Single Supplement: $525. (U.S. Funds)
Lodging: Hotels/Inns
Trip Begins: Ajaccio, Corsica by 9 :00 a.m. Trip Ends: Ajaccio, Corsica
 WHAT WE PROVIDE:
Walking The World Guide and Local Guide
10 nights lodging (double occupancy)
10 breakfasts, 5 lunches, and 5 dinners
All admission fees to scheduled stops
All ground transportation while on tour
Unique and original Journal of your trip
Walking The World Shirt or Hat
Loads of good fun, humor, and companionship!
YOUR GUIDE
Your guide for your adventure is Kathy Lewis. Kathy is a passionate world traveler and for the past 16 years has been guiding and sharing her knowledge of the land, history and culture of her many diverse tour destinations. Whether it's the charming villages of Provence in France, the "unique inside view" of her home territory in the Hawaiian Islands, the beautiful Welsh countryside of her ancestors, or the striking scenery of the Mediterranean Island of Corsica, she takes great delight in sharing her knowledge of wild herbs and plants along the trails, world class wineries and gourmet regional cuisines and will be sure to introduce you to her many colorful local friends along the way. Kathy is American, but has lived and explored many part of Europe and South America, lived, worked and explored the vast expanses of Alaska, operated an organic farm on the island paradise of Maui in the Hawaiian Islands and lived in the cosmopolitan center of Paris, France. Kathy is also a professional chef and takes great pride in finding the best of the best of culinary experiences.
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