Notre-Dame des Neiges du col de Bavella

Quenza

At the top of the Col de Bavella, between wind-twisted pines and one of the most spectacular granite walls in Corsica, a white Virgin opens her arms towards the needles. The statue was hoisted here and blessed on 5 August 1953, before the shepherds of Quenza and Zonza who had always climbed up to spend the summer in the sheepfolds of the pass. The date is no accident: 5 August is the feast of Our Lady of the Snows, commemorating a 4th-century Roman tradition according to which a miraculous snow fell in high summer on the Esquiline Hill, marking the site of the future basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. At Bavella, where snow lies for a good part of the year at 1,200 m, the title found a land of choice. Ever since, every 5 August the Alta Rocca climbs to the pass: pilgrims set out from Zonza on foot in the early morning, Mass is celebrated in the open air on the esplanade — often presided over by the Bishop of Ajaccio — and the day ends with a shared meal beneath the pines, between fervour and village reunions. At the foot of the statue pile up candles, plaques and ex-votos: by tradition, the Virgin of Bavella protects against the dangers of the mountain, and GR20 hikers and climbers of the needles alike come to entrust their route to her. Even outside the pilgrimage, the place takes hold of you: mists clinging to the towers of pink granite, a hamlet of sheepfolds, and one of the finest panoramas on the island.

Getting there : Col de Bavella, via the D268 from Zonza (9 km) or the D268/D368 from Solenzara or Porto-Vecchio; paid parking in season at the pass, free access to the statue a few minutes' walk away. The GR20 passes over the col; pilgrimage and Mass every 5 August.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound