Calanche de Piana

Piana

Between Porto and Piana, on the west coast of Corsica, red granite cliffs plunge into the sea. Wind and rain have hollowed them with cavities and sculpted them into pillars, heads and castles. Maupassant called them ‘bent and tortured by time’. The names given to them, the calanque du Cœur, the calanque de l'Aigle, the Tête de chien, the Château fort, show how much people see shapes in them. A local legend attributes this landscape to the devil: Satan wanted to marry a shepherdess, whom the tale calls Piana, and she refused him. In his fury, he is said to have turned the girl to stone and surrounded her with stone creatures, or else ravaged her land. A variant tells that Saint Martin then blessed the cliffs, and that a wave hollowed out the gulf of Porto. The calanche are part of the UNESCO site ‘Gulf of Porto: Calanche of Piana, Gulf of Girolata, Scandola Reserve’. They are explored on foot, by car along the D81 or, it is said, better still by boat.

Visit Corsica — Les calanques de Piana ↗

Getting there: D81 road between Porto and Piana, narrow and winding, with viewpoints; waymarked hiking paths from the road; boat trips (1 h 30 to 2 h) from Porto, Ajaccio or Cargèse. Free visit. Limited parking in summer: arrive early. The paths of the Spelunca gorge are described as difficult. No regular public transport verified; boat times not verified.

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

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