AJACCIO
VICO 33 AJACCIO. At about two miles from the town the diligence commences the ascent of the low Col of Stileto, passing the aqueduct for the Gravona water. On the left hand are the granite quarries whence the large slabs were taken for the monument to Napoleon in the Place d’Armes, as well as the long blocks for the pillars of the Marseilles cathedral. [To the right are the village of Appietto], pop. 700, on a hill and the great cliff [Monte Gozzi], 656 feet high.
AJACCIO
VICO 12 21 Summit of the [COL ST. SEBASTIEN], 1344 feet above the sea, commanding a lovely prospect of the Bays of Liscia, Sagona and Cargésé, and of the valley of Cinarca, with its villages and vineyards. At the foot of the Col is a small inn called Le Repos des Voyageurs, where bread and wine and [capital sea-urchins] can be had. They are eaten raw, and taken out of the shell by cutting it in two horizontally.
23 10 [SAGONA] junction with road to Calvi, 79 miles N. (see [p. 17]).
AJACCIO
VICO 31 2 Summit of the [COL ST. ANTOINE], 1488 feet. [Near the top, at some distance to the left, is the village of Balogna], pop. 600, while in front is seen the splendid range of the Monte Rotondo, among which the most conspicuous is La Sposata, at the head of wooded valleys.
The road to the left or N. leads to [Evisa], 18 miles from Vico, pop. 1000, and 2770 feet above the sea. Hotel: Carrara, a comfortable house, where vehicles may be hired. Evisa is charmingly situated on the confines of the [forest of Aïtone], containing 3,749 acres. Beyond Aïtone, or 11 miles from Evisa, is the large [forest of Valdoniello], 11,483 acres. These forests, instead of extending monotonously on large plains, plunge into deep valleys, or creep up the sides of high mountains.
From Evisa descend to Porto (see [p. 18]).
AJACCIO 33 VICO pop. 2020. Inns: France, where the diligence stops; Voyageurs; Univers. Most picturesquely situated in the valley of the Liamone, surrounded by steep mountains covered with apple, peach, chestnut, walnut, olive and oak trees. On the opposite side of the valley is the large whitewashed convent of St. Francis, with terraced garden shaded by tall magnolias, beautifully placed on a thickly-wooded bank, above which is seen the small hamlet of Nessa. It is a favourite summer resort of the élite of Ajaccio, who revel here on carpets of cyclamen, violets, and a profusion of other wild flowers, in the shade of the dense foliage of the chestnut groves around.
Seven and a half miles from Vico up the wooded vale of the Liamone and by the Bridges of Silvani and Belfiori, the village of Murzo and the Col de Sorro, are the Baths of Guagno, with hot, sulphurous springs, resembling in their properties those of Bareges in the Pyrenees (see Black’s South France). From May to September they are much frequented, when a coach runs between Vico and Guagno. Time, 2 hours; fare, 3 frs. Coaches can be hired at Vico for Evisa. Charge, 10 frs.