Corsica: Part 2

Porto-Vecchio & The Surrounding Area

Porto-Vecchio is about a 35-min drive from Bonifacio and is located on the southeastern coast of the island. It is a port city as the name implies and it too possesses a citadel, although its setting is more played down compared to Bonifacio’s. The more notable attractions associated with Porto-Vecchio are its nearby beaches set along scenic mountain scapes. Some have even gained worldwide acclaim and in summer they typically attract quite a crowd. Given that we visited in late October, we didn’t have to contend too much with this aspect. Additionally, the semi overcast skies made for a more modest mood at Palombaggia and Santa Giulia beaches where we dropped in but it was apparent as to why these can be powerhouse destinations during the high season. From the beaches, it was on to the old town of Porto-Vecchio followed by an afternoon trip to the natural pools at Cavu Valley, where the eponymous river gifts visitors with numerous swim holes set among massive boulders against a mountainous backdrop. Nature here was at its finest and rawest form. The clear pools were very inviting although the water was quite frigid for most as only a few brave bathers seemed not to mind.

The grey weather carried over into the following day which guided us out of town to Ospedale Lake where the partially dried up man-made reservoir (that supplies water to most residents in the southern part of Corsica), gave the impression of an alien landscape. The lake was mostly dry exposing what would have been hundreds of submerged tree stumps somewhat resembling a post-apocalyptic barren land. It was a curious site and somewhat concerning provided this was the water supply for nearly half the island’s population. Not too far from the lake awaited our next feat, an adventurous and scenic hike towards the Piscia du Gallu waterfall, Corsica’s highest at 196 feet (60 meters). Although we didn’t plan to do the full hike (1.5 hours round-trip), we ended up marginally close. The kids did great considering we were at it for about 2 hours trekking through the forest and the mountainous landscape, not entirely sure we would get to see the fall.