Find that village!

This is just a shot in the dark. I was an Au Pair in Corsica over twenty years ago, the family had a holiday home where we spent the summer, in a little village about an hour from Bastia. It was up in the mountains and had about 12 houses and a church - thats all! I don%26#39;t remember the name of the village and that is the problem. I am going back to Corsica on holidays in Sept. and taking my husband.I

have a romantic notion of driving back to see the village. I have had no contact with the family since and don%26#39;t even remember their name so I can%26#39;t ask them. Has anyone any suggestions as to the general area I might start looking in? All I remember is that is was the highest village up a very steep and twisty road and you could see other villages all the way down. It was also very green! Not much to go on I know.

Any advice appreciated.

Daisy

|||

The steep and twisty road to a highest village mean that my money is on Sant%26#39;Antonino. Have a look at: www.francethisway.com/mbv-santantonino.php and see if you can find anything familiar. It is green up there and you should make sure you don%26#39;t go up a cloudy day or the views will be spoilt.

If it isn%26#39;t there, then I think you%26#39;re probably describing one of the Balagna villages you%26#39;ll find to the South of Ile Rousse. You don%26#39;t have to stay in Bastia for these places, both Calvi and Ile Rousse are in easy driving distance.

Good luck!

|||

Thank you. I will start there and maybe it will all come back to me when I get there!

|||

I don%26#39;t know - it sounds more like a village in Cap Corse - the bit that looks like a finger pointing up north of Bastia, if you have a look on the map - than Sant Antonino to me i) St A is considerably more than an hour from Bastia ii) it%26#39;s not that high, and the road up to it is not really that steep and windy, and it has many more than 12 houses iii) Cap Corse is particularly green..

Unfortunately I don%26#39;t know Cap Corse at all well, especially not inland, so can%26#39;t be of more help than that.

Other possiblilities could be above St Florent (Oletta, etc) or even the Castagniccia (also very green, full of tiny places, about an hour from Bastia, inland from the coast road south of Casamozza)

have a look at Google maps plus photos and see if that triggers any memories

Best of luck!!

|||

I would say that your best bets are either the Casinca (perhaps around Penta di Casinca) or the Castagniccia (inland from Moriani Plage).

Neither the Balagne nor Cap Corse are especially green in the summer (which is when you were there). Also you mention that there were only about 12 houses and that you could see other villages all the way down - both of these comments point to these two areas.

Let us know if you find the village.

|||

You%26#39;re right Balanina. Overlooked the 12 houses bit, although I%26#39;d reckon on not much more than an hour and a bit to get to the Balagna.

Not a windy road? It%26#39;s on the top of a hill - you even have to spiral up to get to it! But even if itsn%26#39;t your village, it%26#39;s well worth a look.

|||

Daisy,

Can you remember anything about the journey from Bastia to the village (or vice versa)? For example, on what side (left or right) of you was the sea? If on the left I think we are looking at Castagniccia.

|||

Ok, I do remember that coming back down to Bastia, once we were on the flat again,the sea was on my right and there were fields of vegetables between the road and the sea. I also remember roadside vegetable/fruit shops. One name that does ring a bell was mentioned by balanina - %26quot;Oletta%26quot;, this was, I think either on the way or on a signpost we passed on the way, so would have been somewhere nearby.

Thank you for all your suggestions.

|||

As I thought, you approached Bastia from the south rather than from the north, suggesting Castagniccia. It may have been Orezza that you remember on signposts. Once down the mountainside you would have been close to a seaside village/resort of Moriani-Plage, on the main road to Bastia. The road down to the coast from the mountains 20 years ago or so would have been particularly terifying, especially on the descent, as it had no barriers and a steep drop. Different from other mountain roads in Corsica because of the lack of vegetation - you could look across the ravines and see the road opposite. Cervione ring a bell?

|||

If it were the Castagniccia you might remember the distinctive architecture/geology, different from elsewhere in Corsica. The houses and rooves are made of slate, not stone and tiles, and the villages are often perched along the top of ridges, rather than on single pinnacles, as elsewhere in Corsica. Many of the roads are buried under chestnut forests, so very green and shady and often damp - almost like England - compared with the high mountains, maquis or pine forests elsewhere in Corsica. It is also full of tiny hamlets (how will you ever find the right one?)

It sounds as if we%26#39;re getting warm - highly likely to have been the Castagniccia or the Casinca, not least because this was once the most populous part of Corsica, so lots of people have family homes there where they return for the summer.

|||

Thank you everyone for taking the time to reply. Although the place names suggested do not ring a bell exactly (Orezza maybe), from what you have told me, I think you are right and we are getting warmer. Castagniccia could be the right area, so I am going to start there and drive. I remember the village clearly, there was another church about half way down between %26quot;my%26quot; village and the village below, so I am pretty sure I will know it when I see it. Can%26#39;t understand why I am unable to remember the name of the village, I was there for 3 months! must be the age related memory loss!

Daisy.