Hike with picnic in Corsica and musical sunset

A UNIQUE AND OUT-OF-THE-ORDINARY EXPERIENCE IN CORSICA WITH A PIUMA

An original excursion infused with Corsican flavours: a hike to see the sunset accompanied by music and "spuntinu".(Corsican food)

Brice and his dog Piuma are waiting for us in Appietto village in the Ajaccio hills (30 minutes from the centre of town), or more specifically in the car park of the Chapelle Saint-Cyr. We need to be there for 6:15pm so we can set off at 6:30pm.

Fifteen people turn up to do the 2.5-km hike in the cool of the evening, which involves a 250-metre climb to get to the summit.

Brice, our state-certified guide, gives us all walking poles (just as useful for the way up as for the way down) as well as headlamps as we’ll be coming down in the dark. Participants thus only needed to arrive in comfortable clothing and trainers, and with a backpack (to carry a change of clothes and a pullover if necessary) and some water.

The group included locals and tourists of all ages; children, parents, grandparents and a few young people, from all walks of life and with varying levels of ability come on this outing which is accessible to everyone (over the age of six) provided they book in advance. You can find contact details and the dates of upcoming excursions on their website (15-20 people maximum).

The hike is livened up with a number of short stops for Brice to tell us, among other things, about the flora and fauna, the history of the Chestnut tree: the bread tree, a few anecdotes, and the history of the Corsican mountains. We also come across two fountains along the way where we are able to have a drink and fill up our bottles.

The sun begins to set and everything is bathed in gold with the Corsican undergrowth giving off the most delicious smells, (the most notable is Immortelle d’Italie, or Helichrysum italicum).

It is thus around 8pm that we arrive at our final destination. Brice, who had gone on ahead to set everything up, is playing the song Versu Te by l’Albinu as we arrive. The food has been set out nicely on a red table cloth and includes quality Corsican wine (various producers), Corsican produce from the Auberge du Prunelli (cold meats and cheese), some good bread, fig jam and some very tasty Canistrelli...delicious! Without forgetting tea and coffee to round everything off before we have to go back down again. We have a little time before the sun goes down completely to enjoy ourselves and we take pleasure in listening to our singer-musician-guide, enjoying the good Corsican food and drink and immortalising the moment forever.

The full 360° panorama is splendid. Brice explains everything we can see around us and we can see some wonders…! Including the Gulf of Ajaccio, of course, and the Alta Rocca mountains in the distance, which include Mount Incudine (2,136 m) and Mount Rotondo (2,622 m). And from the other side we can make out the Paglia Orba massif (2,525 m), Monte Cinto, which is the highest mountain in Corsica at 2,706 metres, and the road to Cap Corse which goes through Sagone, Cargèse and Piana amongst other places.

Taken together, the hike, Corsican meal and concert with the sun setting in the background and a 360° panoramic view were the perfect combination for a moment suspended at 600m.

At 9:30pm we start making our way back down, everyone switching on their head lamps and paying close attention to where they are putting their feet: it’s very dry so the ground is slippy but thankfully there are only a few controlled skids and no major falls.

We get back to the Chapel at 10:30pm, bringing the total excursion time to four hours, during which we made many fantastic memories. The feedback is entirely positive, with everyone taking Brice’s card to help him promote his activities at their hotel/camp site/accommodation, and it’s also clear that everyone there will ultimately help his business grow through word-of-mouth.

Thank you Brice for this lovely evening and see you again soon for other out-of-the-ordinary experiences (he also does hikes/yoga/sunsets and snowshoeing in winter among other things).