Piana - Corse, France travel

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Piana ('most beautiful villages of France') is in Corse, 12km south-west of Porto

Tourist Information

The delightful village of Piana, founded in 1725, is poised 400 metres above the Gulf of Porto. With its traditional whitewashed houes, and a lovely little chuch (the church of Sainte Marie), Piana has lots of narrow streets to explore, and several boutiques, bars and restaurants. From the village there are also roads down to the harbour and a nearby beach.

But Piana itself is only part of the reason why people visit this rugged part of Corse, because the road from Piana to Porto winds through an amazing landscape, known as the Calanche.

Perhaps remiscent of the wild-west of Bryce Canyon in the USA, the Calanche of Piana ("Calanques de Piana) is a series of curious and extraordinary rock formations, bright red cliffs and rocks that in places plunge towards the deep-blue sea (very Homer's Odyssey). History (or rather, myth) has it that the devil carved the 'city of rock', and various of the rock formations are identifiable as his work - a shepherdess, a dog, a bishop etc. The Calanche of Piana is now listed as a protected site by UNESCO.

Calanche, Piana, Corse

As well as driving along the narrow road, there are numerous walks through the rocks around Piana - the Tourist Office can give you advice - this is the best way to appreciate the beauty of the Calanche de Piana.