Frenchie and the Corsican Secret

If you ever go to Corsica, chances are you will spend most of your time exploring the treasures of the coast, rolling around on the island’s perfect sand beaches and tan until your skin gets to a shade of brown no one will ever be able to properly identify. This is the typical Corsica: what tourists have in mind and want to do. But the Corsican soul and heritage does not limit itself to just the coast and it has many mystical secrets – one of them I am about to reveal.

Driving from the Bastia airport, it is really tempting to forget all pre-planned activities and follow signs with exotic names such as Aléria, Ghisonaccia, Solenzara and Porto-Vecchio. They sound like whispers of spring and summer. Daydreaming about what the eastern coast and beaches could look like, we decide not to take a detour and follow the central road going through Corté. As we approach Ponte-Leccia, valleys and mountains await the curious and adventurous tourists ready to discover a world of rocky mountainous mazes where nature unveils its most glorious landscapes and small quaint villages offer a tasty gastronomy of traditional cheeses, game, wild boar and pig, charcuterie and chestnuts. Yes, the secret to Corsica lies in the heart of the island, not the coast.

Bakery stop on the road. Hungry + Tired = Need sugar rush. Some usual French bakery items try to overpower the traditional Corsican baked goods. But I know what I’m here for. And it’s not a croissant, that’s for sure! Eyes wide open. I am gaze-eating all bakeries in a matter of seconds. We don’t have much time I am told. I need to decide quickly. I see delicious sweet names all around me. Seized by stress – decision, decision. Fritelle, canistrelli, frappe, falculelle… all these delicacies dancing around in front of my eyes. If only I could pick two, or four or five and put them in my pocket for some well-deserved secret snacking later. I choose, I pay and off we go.

D39 – remember this number! It’s the secret road off of the main N193 road between Corté and Ponte-Leccia that will take you to a spectacular abandoned world where time stood still. Enter the valley, climb the mountain with the car and you will find yourself in the region of the Castagniccia named after the abundant chestnut - castagna – trees of this particular area of the island. Now the best part of driving up the various mountains with people who’ve never been to Corsica – especially Americans – is to see their terrified reactions when faced with the reality that the driver might be psychotic and going too fast winding round narrow mountain roads. While most of us are used to standard boring driver test questions such as “When driving in fog, you should use your…”, it seems that tests in Corsica must include more pointed crazy questions such as: “You may drive like a F1 car racer on a skinny mountain road when…” Yes, you will hold your breath. And yes, you will shut and cover your eyes much like watching a horror movie petrified by the idea of a sheer drop down the ravine. “In the mountain no one can hear you scream”.

If you are able to keep your eyes open, the Castagniccia offers infinite rows of trees with thick foliage and a panorama over the green valleys, which can be quite surprising to anyone expecting to witness vegetation burnt by the hot summer sun. Not surprisingly, this region is called “The Lung” of Corsica and is the only place on the island where one can breath the surrounding natural Corsican DNA while experiencing a refreshing atmosphere from the many trees and forests that no one on the coast would be able to enjoy. As we stop the car on a deserted mountain road and step outside to marvel at the admirable scenery, we start to feel like we own this view laid out in front of us. There is a river running and shimmering at the bottom of the drop, right below our feet, with small whispering cascades. Behind us, the rustle in the mountain among the branches is either a sign of the wind picking up or a wild pig looking for acorns. The nearest village is still a while away. We probably have another 90 minute drive until we reach an inhabited area. Spring and summer are upon us and the freshness of the forest announces a great season to start. It will be warm, it will be sunny, but the shade provided by the gigantic chestnut trees will make for an even more divine stay.

Anyone would be stunned and speechless. Not from the driving! Nor from the idea of a wild pig pouncing from behind – I don’t do very well with nature, insects and roaming animals in general. But stunned and speechless from this unexpected Castagniccia hidden gem of a spot becoming our own splendid garden waiting to be explored for its richness and treasures. As I unwrap a delicious piece of sweet chestnut flour cake bought at the bakery, it feels like the lively sound of the mountain is calling us like a magical being… wait, are you sure it wasn’t a pig? How do you know? OK that’s enough Corsican treasures and nature and greenery and serenity, I’ll wait in the car.