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Pianasca in the hills of Morsiglia
The big square tower on the right is where I stayed with my friend Allyson. It took me a while to finally decide to publish this blog because Corsica is France’s best-kept secret. In May surprisingly enough, when I visited there were not many tourists and the ones that were there were mostly the French from the mainland.
A friend and former colleague, Allyson had extended an invitation to visit her on the island of Corsica, France many times. So after years of invites and hearing how beautiful the village of Morsiglia and Corsica were, I finally made it to her tower. Yes, her tower!
Situated near the Tuscan and Provencal coasts, Corsica has been occupied, colonized and fought over for thousands of years. Its history and culture are the results of the mixture of different civilizations from the Carthaginians and Romans to the Pisans, Genoese and French. And because of this diverse blend of history, Corsica has a unique identity. I felt right at home since the French spoken on this island is a blend of Italian and French; more striking were the gestures made while yelling at each other - I mean while talking to each other. Although Corsica has been officially part of France for over 200 years, it feels different from
the mainland from its language, customs, and character.
From the 11th to 13th centuries Corsica was ruled by the Italian city-state of Pisa and then in 1284 by Genoa. To prevent attacks from the sea, a system of coastal citadels and watchtowers was constructed along the coastline. In 1755, after 25 years of war against the Genoese, Corsica finally declared its independence.
Allyson’s home which is a tower, is set in Morsiglia, a quiet village in Cap Corse, the north end of the island in Corsica, France. It’s often described as an island within an island. It is Corsica’s northeastern peninsula which stands out like a thumb at the top of a clenched fist. It is about 40km long and 10km wide. I was warned about its switchback, narrow roads with breathtaking or “breathtaking away” curves and drops into the sea. The spectacular views are worth all of the nauseating moments in the car!
Upon arrival to Morsiglia, it appeared as a small village at the outset but what I discovered was an unimaginable wonder of towers, churches, chapels, vineyards, terraces, ancient windmills and new, mansions, little houses and its 15th century convent. First founded around 500BC by
Greek sailors, during the 15th and 16th century, the principal rich families lived in rectangular tower buildings which served as feudal houses and fortresses designed to protect its inhabitants against the barbaric invasions from Africa. There are two types of towers found in Morsiglia, round towers and square towers. The round towers were military towers and the square towers were fortified dwellings. The round towers were built on the coastline called “tour de guet”; nowadays referred to as “genoises.” From these towers, villagers would act as lookouts and stand watch for approaching enemies and alert the villagers. The “pisanes” towers or square towers were built by noble, wealthy families. Not only did these towers demonstrate the power of the family but they were able to harbor their family, neighbours and clients. There were nine square towers built in the 16th century of which seven are still visible. Pianasca (Allyson’s tower) which is the most imposing of these towers and measures 16m high and 11m wide in Morsiglia is where I spent a glorious ten days.
We spent our days hiking the surrounding areas walking through small villages perched up in the hills and through coastal fishing villages. We made
our way through ancient trails of thick trees and bushes and Cap Corse’s infamous maquis which is a smattering of various herbs, bushes and flowers that make up the vegetation vast areas of the hillsides. Many of the shrubs are aromatic, such as mints, laurels, and myrtles. Palms, orange and lemon groves, olives, figs, chestnuts, beech and other small trees are scattered throughout the area and often form open forests. The prickly pear, huge aloe plants, castor-oil plant and the fig-tree, grow wild along the coast. I have never seen such diversity of plant life in one area as I did in Cap Corse. After making our way through some very dense trails we were lead and rewarded with a splendid finale of jagged coves, rocky cliffs and crystal green and blue undulating foaming waves which glistened with the setting sun. Along the coastline were the Genoese watchtowers that line the coast and the ruins of small, quaint windmills that nowadays have been replaced by giant, towering modern ones. At every turn there were quaint houses and some mansions known as “maison des Americains”. These were homes built by Corsicans that had set sail for their fortunes to Puerto Rico
and then returned to build these majestic homes in the Cap Corse region. I was fortunate enough to visit one such house firsthand. The mansion that we visited was matched in beauty by its extensive grounds of rolling green grass, olive and cypress groves and vegetable gardens. I was treated to a private tour by the great grandson of a Corsican adventurer who had made his fortune in Puerto Rico.
During this visit, I used the word beautiful so many times that I tired of using it and searched for a more profound way of expressing just how shockingly gorgeous, spectacular, awesome, stunning, amazing, splendid, delightful, exquisite, resplendent, superb, ravishing, marvelous….you get the idea, Corsica is. It was an awakening of the mind and senses. It truly is absolutely BEAUTIFUL! Not only was the landscape precious but also my hostess, Allyson. Thank you for inviting me and sharing this otherworldly place with me. I will be forever grateful for your hospitality, our walks and most of all our talks. Blessings…
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Allyson
non-member comment
Thank you
Today the winds are fiercer than any day you were here - hard to imagine, but walking is a hazard! What a pleasure your visit was and your blog is brilliant. Thank you for taking the time to pay such a tribute to this "Isle de Beaute" and share your experience of being here. What a gift it was for me to share your discovery of this amazingly beautiful island. Your appreciation of all that it offers and your enthusiasm and delight affirmed my feeling of overwhelming luck at having landed here, be it for a few months of the year.