Cap Corse is the finger-shaped peninsula of Upper Corsica. Called the island within the island due to the specificity of the territory, it extends for 40 kilometers between the Ligurian Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea. The Path of Authentic Senses is a project of the Agricultural and Rural Development Office of Corsica (ODARC) which aims to highlight the agricultural, artisanal and historical heritage of the French island.
The members of the Strada di i Sensi (as it is called in Corso) are farmers, artisans, restaurateurs, innkeepers or producers from the rural world, who share and adhere to the document which establishes the quality criteria.
These are exclusively manufacturers holding official quality marks and offering certified products; the other agricultural productions must be made on site using local raw materials. The cheeses are made with the milk of local breeds. The presence of sales rooms and a tasting area open to visitors at least three months a year must be foreseen. In the event of an appointment, the visit must be guaranteed.
The starting point of this food and wine tour is the main port of Corsica, where you can disembark even with a vehicle thanks to the Genoa – Bastia ferries, which operate only seasonally (usually from the end of May to the beginning of October), or the Livorno – Bastia, belonging to two different shipping companies.
Food and wine tour in the north of Cap Corse on the Road of Senses
All the structures and activities listed have adhered to the quality charter of the so-called Path of authentic senses – Strada di i Sensi. In addition to the cellars, where if you have to drive you only need to taste and buy a bottle to take with you, the itinerary includes both an agritourism farm that offers catering and accommodation services, and a bed & breakfast.
The alternative to driving is to travel by taxi; at Capo Corso, for example, there is Taxi Sisco (telephone 0631711380). To call Corsica, dial the prefix 0033 followed by the local number without the initial 0.
Here then is where you can have food and wine tastings and visits to the manufacturing companies along the “Route des Sens Authentiques”.
The first stop on the itinerary is the farm, agritourism and dairy company of Laurent Albertini (telephone +33 0621721992), located in the municipality of Pietracorbara (on whose Marina there is also the beach), in the locality of Saint Léonard, where it is produced by generations sheep cheese. The flock of 300 sheep and the dairy are family-run: Laurent and his wife independently manage the entire production chain. The cheeses are sold in local shops and directly on the farm, which is open from December to July.
About ten kilometers away, in the hamlet of Santa Severa in the municipality of Luri, there is the Pieretti winery, open from April to October (telephone number 0495350103). The winemaker Lina Venturi-Pieretti produces 50,000 bottles a year of Côteaux du Cap-Corse and Muscat DOP Cap-Corse, including white, rosé, red and Moscati wines. The autochthonous vine is Alicante. The vineyards of the estate, on the eastern side of Cap Corse, extend to the sea on schist soil.
The third stage, about 10 kilometers away from the previous one, is the farm and dairy company E Piane, owned by Sandrine De Maggio (telephone number 0610790444), located in Macinaggio (Macinaghju), a hamlet in the municipality of Rogliano, in the locality Lieu dit Pietrabio. The flock of 145 sheep is raised on 30 hectares of sown grasslands. Among the cheeses produced, the highlight is U Divinu.
About 5 kilometers from the previous stage, in the municipality of Rogliano (Ruglianu), the historic capital of Cap Corse, in the locality of Poggiale, there is the Casa Angeli distillery (telephone 0495341862). Daniel and Antoine Angeli, father and son, cultivate one hectare of Moscato DOP vines and produce about 40 types of liqueurs re-proposing ancient local recipes. Pastis corse à l’ancienne is the winner of the 2013 gold medal in the liqueur category at the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles.
A little over 17 kilometers away there is the Clos Paoli estate, owned by Claude and Cyrille Lippi (telephone 0495356479); in the municipality of Morsiglia, located on the western slope of Cap Corse, the 4-hectare vineyard is made up of 5 parcels: Tora, Stanti, Mucchietta, Pozzu and Spartita. Thermostatically controlled oak vats, barrels and barriques are used for the vinification; the Moscato, Rappu and Impassitu grapes are dried with a technique handed down for generations, the passerillage.
The last stop, about 27 kilometers from the previous one, before returning to Bastia, is the E Pasturelle di Sabrina Lorenzi dairy, which can only be visited by appointment at the telephone number 0616026329, where Brocciu DOP farm sheep cheese is produced, both fresh that refined, and toma. Open from December to May, it is located in the municipality of Canari, on Chemin de Sollaru Suttanu, and it is family-run.
At the center of all the points that make up the tour, in the municipality of Cagnano, in Hameau de Carbonacce, there is also the Casale Lucrezia bed & breakfast (telephone 0495597819), an old manor house classified as regional heritage. Depending on the season, the homemade menu often includes Corsican toma soufflé and figs from Lucrezia’s garden or tender chestnuts.
