The area

The village of San Martino

Antoine de Saint-Exupery spent his very last night in San Martino di Lota before his final flight in 1944.

At the gateway to Bastia but already in Cap Corse, the village of San Martino di Lota’s hamlets stretches along the hillsides, surrounded by the gentle greenery of the oaks and chestnut trees of the valley.

The village spreads around the large square and two churches.


One, named after Saint Martin, has a neoclassical façade and was built on the site of a 13th-century small fort and chapel.
The other is older; the Saint Croix Chapel is where “pullezzule” are made and exhibited. These religious objects are made from braided palm leaves and carried during Easter celebration processions on Good Friday.

In the heart of the picturesque village, there are old houses with stone tile roofs, old ovens, fountains and a magnificent recently-restored Genoese bridge.

Above the hotel, nature invites you to follow the magnificent hiking routes, one of which will lead you to ‘Nivere’. These are old stone buildings in which was stored ice made from packed winter snow. Then towards the Saint Léonard Pass, you will be able to simultaneously contemplate both seas. (East and West).

Our staff will be happy to advise you on these walks and hikes, itineraries and any other information you might find useful.

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Bastia

Bastia came to be in 1378 when the Genoese governor Leonello Lomellini left the castle of Biguglia to settle in a strong setting.
Located to the north-east of Corsica, at the base of Cap Corse and overlooking the sea and the seascape, Bastia is the main port of the island and its main trading place.
Saint Nicolas Square (one of the largest in France), faces the sea and represents the heart of the town.
The town centre groups together the Citadel (also known as Terra-Nova) with the Governors’ Palace, the Old Port and the adjoining marketplace.

Bastia is classed as a ‘Ville d’Art et d’Histoire’:

the former Genoese Governor’s Palace now houses the municipal museum (former Museum of Corsican Ethnology). The Governors’ Palace was a fortress leaning against the keep, which is enhanced with a 16th-century bell tower and traditionally stood guard over Terra-Nova and the old port beyond the ramparts.

The Sainte-Marie church, a cathedral built starting in 1495 and extensively modified at the beginning of the seventeenth century, is in the very heart of the Citadel. Behind this church, the Sainte-Croix Chapel has an exuberant interior ornamentation and conceals its treasure; the Christ of Miracles was found floating on the waters in 1428 by two fishermen. Traditionally it is worshipped by the most fervent Bastia dwellers.

Saint Jean-Baptiste Church is one of the most emblematic in Bastia.

The sacristy of the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception with its 19th century painted vault and velvet-lined walls, is now a museum with a collection of numerous works of religious art from the 15th and 19th centuries, found in various sanctuaries across the town.

The old port is the historical heart of the city. The neighbourhood at the foot of the Citadel is home to the fishing port and marina. In order to get an overall view, walk to the Dragon Jetty that was built in the 19th century. From here, in good weather, it is possible to see the Tuscan Archipelago: the islands of Elbe, Capraia and Monte Cristo.

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Cap Corse and surroundings

Cap Corse, the most preserved micro-region of Corsica where nature has maintained its rights.

The coastline framed by picturesque seascapes makes Cap Corse the most sea-orientated region of the island. Each district has its own pebble or fine sand beach. Among the most well-known: Pietracorbara, Tamarone and Barcaggio). There are also small coves that can be claimed for the day in order to ‘laze around on the flat rocks, admiring the Tuscan Archipelago in the distance’. It is also in Cap Corse that the two major fishing ports of the island can be found: Centuri and Macinaggio.

Cap Corse is also very fertile and has always been suitable for varied crops such as vines and olives or fruit trees. Cultivation and trade of citron were an important source of revenue for Cap Corse inhabitants for a long time. Make the most of the opportunity to visit the ‘traditional Cap Corse gardens. Large vineyards stretch along the east facing slopes (AOC “Muscat de Cap Corse” in Pietracorbara and Rogliano) and the southern parts (AOC “Patrimonio' in Patrimonio and Barbaggio).

Culture: ‘Les Palazzi’ homes of Americans. These large rectangular buildings stand out in the landscape. Of Tuscan neoclassical style they were built between the middle of the 19th and up to the end of the 20th century. They are generally topped by a hip roof covered in local stone tiles and are located at a height or in a privileged area, often surrounded by a wooded garden enhanced with majestic palm trees. The “palazzi” (palaces) were initially monuments that celebrated the social success of Cap Corse inhabitants that had left to seek fortune in America (and elsewhere). The house and the tomb were the first two revealing signs of the immense fortune of these emigrants. There are many treasures to be discovered in Cap Corse and our receptionists are at your disposal to advise you or even organise meetings and tastings with winegrowers or local producers.

The Customs Officer’s path: At the tip of Cap Corse, between Macinaggio and Centuri, the main road leaves the coastline. This is the land of maquis. The islets (Finocchiarola, Giraglia, Capense) are home to valuable colonies of seabirds, rare plants and a number of endemic species. Backed up to a large sandy beach, the Barcaggio dunes are among the highest in Corsica. Here, nature and the history of man are closely linked. There are old lime kilns among the junipers, a few archaeological sites, a Romanesque chapel with a double apse, old windmills and a string of coastal towers dating back to the Genoese period. In order to discover the landscapes and the important natural and cultural heritage, just take the ‘Customs officer’s route’ that follows the coastline between Centuri and Macinaggio, bypassing the tip of the island opposite the Giraglia semaphore.

To the west are three of the most beautiful Corsican beaches: Saleccia, Lodo and Malfaco. They are among the exceptional beaches that alone justify Corsica’s sobriquet of “ïle de beauté” They can be reached on foot, by all-terrain vehicle trails or by sea shuttle from the port of Saint-Florent.

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