The Balagne area is located northwest of Corsica (also called “Island of Beauty” in French). Its main towns are Calvi, Galeria, Ostriconi and Ile Rousse. Its name “garden of Corsica” comes from its fertile hills. Balagne is also called “holy” because it has so many religious buildings.
In Calvi, we cannot imagine more beautiful scene: the huge bay, its five-kilometre beach, the marina, the snow-capped mountains until May and the walls of the citadel, which stand in the middle of the sea.
ÃŽle Rousse (Ginger Island) is the other seaside resort on the coast. Its name comes from the red porphyry rocks of the Isle of Pietra, just north of the town. Its climate is so mild that it could be called Gentle Island. And nothing is more pleasant than a stroll in the shade of plane-trees of Paoli square or playing petanque on the market square lined with date palms.
The Balagne area has so many treasures to unveil that it is impossible to list them all, but among other things the three villages of Montegrosso, Lunghignano and its oil mill, Montemaggiore and its exceptional view over the Gulf of Calvi are worth the trip. From Mausoleo and Pioggiola, you will enjoy a nice walk surrounded by landscapes of Genoese bridges and chapels. Further north, you will see the valley of Ostriconi, the beautiful village of Lama, dominated by Mount Astu, as well as Pietralba and its mountains.
