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Fium’Orbu Castellu according to Xavier and Martine Baldovini, cheese-makers in Salastraco
Running a cheese factory in Salastraco (20 minutes from Ghisonaccia) at the heart Fium’Orbu Castellu, Martine and Xavier Baldovini have chosen a calm and serene life in contact with nature.
They accommodate guests from February onwards, either in a treehouse called ‘A Casetta di u Banditu’ with its own jacuzzi, or in ‘Casa Cantunniera’, an old renovated valance house with pool.
If they wish, visitors can taste carefully selected cheeses and other Corsican gastronomic products in their on-site shop.
Before making an appointment, let’s find out more from them about Fium’Orbu Castellu…
Xavier, you’ve always lived and worked in the Fium’Orbu Castellu area. Is this only because you’re a local?
No, though of course I love the land and the animals. Although I’m no longer a shepherd, I stay very close to them and like to visit them and help them. There’s always so much to do!
My passion is to transform sheep’s milk into a quality raw milk cheese. Raw milk gives a lot of aroma, it’s dying out as a tradition so we must try to protect it.
Martine, what made you decide to settle in Corsica with Xavier?
Originally of Belgian origin, here we live by the cycle of production (calving, the sale of lambs, the season of milk production and pasture grazing in the summer). Everything has a purpose and we never get bored!
Xavier, if you had to name three must-sees in the region, what would they be?
Pozzi is my idea of paradise on earth, and must not be missed.
The forest of Padula in my village of Vezzani is far too underrated, where you can go mountain biking, jogging and walking, horseback riding and picnicking.
The Pinia estate, Urbino pond, and Ghisonaccia with its inordinate beaches, beautiful, tranquil in any season and especially well preserved.
Martine, what’s your favourite season and why?
Spring – because Corsica is so green and flowery! The walks are very fragrant, surrounded by rosemary, rockrose, immortelle, juniper, heather. I love making little bouquets to dry.
What would you recommend to a tourist visiting the area?
Explore the mountains with an experienced Corsican guide who can highlight our microregion. (Find one at www.corseorientale.com .)
Take a swim in the Fium’Orbu river and enjoy its cascading waterfalls.
Enjoy a sumptuous meal of brocciu beignets, charcuterie and wild boar at the two farmhouses near our home in Inzecca and Sampolu.
Three words to define your region?
Agriculture, home, terroir. Less spectacular than the rest of Corsica but just as beautiful, the eastern plain has a thriving population and industry, and even in August, its fine sandy beaches remain uncrowded. (But don’t spread this around too much…)
©ATC
©ATC
©fromagerie Baldovini