Castagniccia

Castagniccia means chestnut grove and is also the name of the hilly area between Bastia and Aleria in Corsica's east. It was the Genoese who ordered to plant these large chestnut forests in the Castagniccia. The area was originally used for farming with terraced fields. In the 16th century the Genoese released a law, that landowners had to plant at least four trees each year. Although there were different kinds of trees available, chestnut was the preferred choice. The nuts were processed into flour or were used as nutritious animal feed and helped the Castaggnicia to a certain prosperity. Remnants of this former wealth are the many big churches which can be found in the center of every little village in the area.

The Decline of the Chestnut Forests

Today the Castagniccia is affected by rural exodus the same as many other rural regions in Corsica. This comes with the decline of the chestnut forests which are no longer cared for and serve as roaming grounds for wild, former domestic pigs. Also, the chestnut trees are endangered by a fungal disease which will decimate the tree population further in coming years.

Sights

In the Castagniccia, the villages Cervione, Pedicroce, la Porta, the monastery Alesani and the small mountain village Campodonico are all worthwhile places to visit. Campodonico is starting point for a walk up to the Monte Petrone, with 1767m the highest mountain in the area.

Sweet Chestnut

The sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) belongs to the family of beech trees and originated in Asia Minor. The edible seeds of this tree are called marron or chestnuts. In Corsica they were mainly processed into flour. For this the chestnuts are first dried and then roasted and ground.