Taravo Region

Taravo Region

The valleys of the Taravo and Prunelli rivers have both in common magnificent nature, scenic waterfalls and mountain views and, strangely, less tourists than the North west and great South of the island. Both valleys offer the rich diversity so particular to Corsica (both valleys start on the coast and have mountain sides reaching over 1200m altitude) . The coast where both rivers reach the sea (gulf of Ajaccio for the Prunelli and gulf of Valinco for the Taravo) boast beautiful beaches.

Here is a sample of things to do in the region:

St Eustache mountain pass – At the entrance of the Alta Rocca region, St Eustache offers a superbe 3-4 hour walk, uncrowded and with notably, if you take the walk to the St pierre mountain, superb views all the way up to the gulf of Ajaccio and Valincu. The road from Pratu to the mountain pass itself offers superb views and sightseeing opportunities. About  20 min drive from U Pratu.

A peek at St Eustache hike

Piscia de l’Onda (waterfall) – Piscia de l’Onda is a superb local waterfall 15 min away from U Pratu. This walk can range from a quiet relaxing 20mn reaching the bottom of the fall to a real stunt climb to reach all the way up and dive into fabulous waterholes.

Piscia de l’onda

River Swimming – There are many rivers in Corsica and two beautiful spots on the Taravo river are located about 10 min drive from Pratu. They can get busy in summer but always remain much quieter than the beachside and the water is cooler!

Bay of Cupabia

Cupabia beach – Cupabia is a large open bay of white sand, accessed through a small winding road from the small coastal village of Porto-Pollo. It is blessed with a beautiful untouched mountain surrounding. It might get difficult to park on the small road access in July or August but space on the beach is plentiful so don’t get put off by the parking experience. Watch the cows off-season, they have priority over you on those grounds!

Prehistoric sites: Filitosa and Cucurruzu – Close to a third

Prehistoric site of Filitosa

of corsica’s prehistoric statues are displayed in Filitosa, making it the largest prehistoric site on the island. The site was discovered by owner Charles-Antoine Cesari in 1946 but serious archeologic excavations only started in 1954. Filitosa was actually a village dominating the valley of the taravo with a fertile land, probably populated during the Neolothic with monuments that witness almost 5 to 8,000 years of prehistoric era. The most popular monuments are the “Filitosa V”, the largest statue (3m-high) with a life-size sword carved on both sides, a 5-menhir alignment and an “Oppidum”, i.e. a fortified settlement with the remnants of a village. The site is well-organised and there are audio explanations available in 4 languages enabling visitors to better understand the history associated with the monuments and make the visit livelier.

At the heart of the “Alta-Rocca” region and of a green oak forest, near the village of Levie, lie the sites of Cucurruzu and Capula, separated by 100m from one another. The location on a plateau offers a panomara of the Alta-Rocca and the sites hold some very interesting monuments from the neolithic and bronze age.