Welcome to the rugged mountainous north coast of Corsica! The whole day was devoted to exploration of the wilds of this sparsely populated region that is characterized by breath-taking views of sheer red-granite cliffs rising 2000 feet out of the lapis blue sea.
Only the solitary medieval watch-tower on the western most promontory of the bay was caught by the early morning light as we sailed into the sheltered anchorage of Porto.
Our three buses took us up a small winding road that had not been widened since it was first installed by Napoleon III and the hairpin turns and sheer drops made our trip to the mountain village of Piana at 1500 feet comparable to a roller-coaster ride. Our Corsican drivers certainly earned their espressos after handling the endless turns on this basically one-way track.
At Piana we strolled around for an hour or sat and enjoyed a latte in the village café while sampling some of the wonderful pain sucre from the local patisserie. The town was voted one of the ten most scenic in France for good reason. On our way down the mountain we stopped and walked for 30 minutes through the 'Calanche', an amazing part of this coastline where the various towering granite rock formations resemble demons, birds monks and mortals.
During this hike we were able to enjoy the lush vegetation filled with aromatic herbs, pine trees and chestnut forests. This is the only green island left in the Mediterranean because its high mountains are not accessible for timber harvesting or farming. Corsica, together with Crete, is home to the largest number of endemic plants in the Mediterranean, but this island is unique because it also houses two endemic bird species, the Corsican Nuthatch and the Corsican Citril Finch.
At lunch we were back onboard and we devoted the whole afternoon to watersport activities. Some of us went snorkeling, others swam, but maybe the best was the generous amount of time we devote to our kayaking pleasure.
As the sun dropped we unfortunately had to leave this small corner of Paradise but I know everyone was captivated and many of us will to return to Corsica in the not too distant future.
