Corte - Haute Corse

We made our way into the geographical and cultural heart of Corsica with our arrival into Corte yesterday afternoon.  Because of its strategic location in the direct center of the island, Corte has always held a position of great importance in Corsica:  it was once the capital of independent Corsica; it was the birthplace of the Corsican Constitution; and it is still home to the first university in Corsica, the University of Corte.

   After checking out the colorful Old Town and making a dinner reservation, we returned back down the road (D623) to see if we could get a couple of rooms at Hotel Dominique Colonna, which we found in our Michelin Guide.

Hotel Dominique Colonna along the Torrent de La Restonica

The hotel sits right at the entrance to the Gorges de la Restonica on D623, about 2 kilometers downhill from Corte.  We were in luck.  We both got rooms looking out over the rocky, babbling Torrent de la Restonica, which rushes down through the beautiful valley in the interior of Corsica.

Babe in the Woods

Wild Pigs of Haute Corse

This morning Dave and I went for a short hike before breakfast to check out the beautiful terrain around us.  We ran into about a half dozen wild pigs, just wandering around, apparently in search of some nourishment to start their day.  Dave had doubts that they were actually “wild” pigs, and I have to admit that they didn’t act too wild, but they seemed to be wandering about in the wilderness, and they looked like the pictures of wild pigs I had seen in books about this region.  In any case, I prefer to believe that they were wild pigs of Haute Corse.

Nature of Haute Corse

While we were wandering around this morning with the rugged mountains all around us, and the crystalline river rushing past us, we noticed lots of marked hiking trails that would have been great fun to explore.  It was immediately clear to us that our one night in Corte was definitely not going to be enough time.  Unfortunately, we have to return to the continent early tomorrow morning, so we will just have to plan on a return trip to this beautiful area, with our hiking boots in tow.

Comments

[bluevicar]

Isn't it wonderful when you go to a place that you want to go back to? When just one round of visiting isn't enough?

Keep us posted!!

Meilleurs voeux!!