Guest Book

We dreamed of it : Brigitte did it ! …
Philippe

A Casa Chjuca : a small piece of the Paradise …
Marie Christine and the team from Champagne.

My Hikes and Walks

The Fiume Zoico river
Only a 20 minutes walk away, you will discover a torrent with its superb large basins one can consider as true natural lakes. The river flows down in between green hillslopes of our so beautiful mountains. A pure and cristalline water comes straight down from the 2313 metres high Punta Alle Porta.
An unforgetable walk ...

The Creno Lake
On the way to the GR20, after a one hour walk on a trail without any particular problems, walking near to several sheepfolds and the small Arate lake, then going through a small forest of Laricio pine trees, you will get to this peaceful moutain lake.
It is said this lake was created by the Devil himself : he would have cut into the moutain using his hammer ! Since then, thanks to the prayers of a shepherd and of an old man which dried up the lake, the Devil fled away.

The GR 20 and the Nino Lake
The Nino Lake on the GR20 is 4 hours walk away from the cottage. Start off from Soccia or from the Vergio mountain pass. You will never forget the majesty of this unique site. The lake shore holds the very peculiar vegetation called 'Pozzines'. These are peat bogs grass covers of a light green colour. They first developped several millenia ago, and they are made up of several moss species. The name 'Pozzine' comes from a botanist called Briquet. He called them like that in 1910 because of the water holes name in Corsica ('i pozzi'). Indeed the peat bogs are greenier than British lawns, and they are dotted by ponds where the bright blue of the sky can be seen. The grass cover living in an excess of water slowly dissolves at its base leading to peat. It is here, due to cooler tempreratures, water availability, and the nice grass expanses, that wild pigs and cows come to graze and eat during the Summer. They risk downgrading this unique ecosystem, but at the same time they help limit any small shrub expanse. One must gain some kind of equilibrium ... These 'Pozzines' let quite a few vegetation species develop : 'grassettes' (small carnivorous plants feeding on insects drawn to the water), some fragile violets, buttercups always tired and half crouching, or monkshoods can be found.

The Spilunca gorge
Going down into the Spilunca gorge you will successively go through the Aitone forest, with its very old Lariccio pine trees, and a pink granite formation around Evisa. The Spilunca trail is a traditional road which has been preserved to modern days. It crosses several times the river, with the help of single arch italian bridges before reaching the village of Ota. You recognize several tree types along the way : oak, strawberry, ash, fig, olive. At the Zaglia bridge, check out the large river stone basins and have a dip. Do not hesitate, even if the water is slightly fresh !