The staple food of the majority of the inhabitants, as well as of the horses and mules, during a great part of the year, is the [chestnut]. For domestic purposes it is mostly ground, when it costs only about half the price of wheat flour, which is procured chiefly from Marseilles, Corsica itself producing very little. The ease with which the harvest of chestnuts is annually obtained tends to foster indolence and deaden enterprise among the peasantry. The one great danger to which the generous chestnut trees are exposed is a conflagration. Besides olives, pines, beeches and chestnuts, there are also important forests of [evergreen oaks], the [Quercus Ilex], called also the holm oak. It has abundance of dark-green ovate leaves, mostly prickly at the margin; the acorns are oblong on short stalks; the stem grows to the height of 80 ft.; the wood is dark-brown and hard, weighing 70 lbs. the cubic foot, while the same of the Quercus ruber or British oak weighs only 55 lbs., and the tree attains a vast age. The cork oak, Quercus suber, grows either singly among other trees or in groups, principally in the southern parts of the island. The bark is of little commercial importance.
The inhabitants do not assist nature. Their seed potatoes are of an inferior class, their fruit trees receive little attention, very few of the vineyards are carefully cultivated, and their sheep, goats and pigs are of poor breeds. Of late years many have taken to the growing of lemons and citrons; which in a good year yield a very handsome profit; but the harvest, through untimely frosts, is precarious. The headquarters of this culture is Cape Corse. The olive trees yield a more secure though less remunerative harvest. That terrible scourge the phylloxera has got among the vineyards, where it is committing its usual havoc.
The drives and pedestrian excursions about Corsica are superb, especially along the east side and up the centre by Sartène, Zicavo and Ghisoni ([p. 27]), and the road between Calvi and Ponte alla Leccia ([p. 20]). There are inns in all the large villages, though the only good and comfortable hotels are in Ajaccio.
Enterprising tourists wishing to explore the great forests and to scale the mountains should endeavour to procure letters of introduction from the chief forestal authorities at Ajaccio, Corté, Bastia or Calvi to the occupants of the Maisons Forestières in the forests to be visited. Although the gardes forestières are generally hospitable, they are afraid to follow their inclination without orders from their superiors. For each day in these houses 7 to 8 frs. should be given.
[INDEX.]
Index links lead directly to the named entry, not to the top of the page.
Agriculture[41] Ajaccio [3] Bankers[3] Cab tariff[3] Cathedral[5] Climate[6] Curiosities[6] Drives[3] Episcopal chapel[3] Excursions[5] Fountains[6] Hotels[3] Library[5] Memorial chapel[5] Mission[3] Napoleon[4] Picture gallery[5] Pozzo di Borgo[4] St. Pancras[6] Sepulchral chapels[6] Steamers[2] Water-carriers[6] | Ajaccio to Bastia[7] —— to Sartène[23] —— to Vico and Evisa[a]22] Albertacce[19] Albuccia point[28] Aleria[32] —— to Corté[33] —— to Puzzichello[33] Algajola[15] Amphibole[27] Apa[24] —— to Zicavo[24] Appietto[22] Aullene[27] |
Balagna valley[20] Balogna[23] Baracci baths[26] Barcaggio[14] Bastelica[24] Bastia[10] —— to Calvi[14] —— to Cap Corse[11] —— rail to Aleria[34] Baths of Baracci[26] —— of Caldaniccia[6] —— of Guagno[23] —— of Guitera[25] —— of Orezza[34] —— of Puzzichello[a]33] | Belgodere[21] —— to Olmi-Capella[21] —— to Tartagine forest[21] Bettianella lake[9] Bevinco[10] Bianca bocca[22] Bicchisano[26] Biguglia lake[10] Bocca Melza[16] Bocognano[7] Bonifacio[30] Caves[31] Charles V.[30] Napoleon[30] Bonifacio to Bastia[31] Borgo[10] Botticella[14] Brustico[35] |
Calacuccia[19] Calasima[19] Calcatoggio[17] Caldanella[17] Caldaniccia[6] Calenzana[22] Calvi[15] —— to Ajaccio[16] —— to Bastia[20] Campo[25] Cap Corse[11] Capella mount[27] Capronale col[16] Cargese[17] Cargiaca[27] Carrosaccia[6] Casabianca[34] Casabianda[32] Casamaccioli[19] Casamozza[34] Cassalabriva[26] Castagniccia[35] Castellaccio col[16] Castello punta[24] Castiglione[20] | Cauro[23] —— to Bastelica[24] Celaccia col[26] Character[40] Chidazzo[18] Cineraggia mount[21] bocca[22] Climate[2] Corsican arms[38] —— character[40] —— dimensions[1] —— patroness[38] Corscia[19] Corté[8] —— to Aleria[8] —— to Mt. Rotondo[8] Coscione mount[25] Cozzano[27] Cristinacce[17] Cuculla mount[18] |
Dente Capo[21] Diana lake[32] | Dominicacci[24] Don Giovanni mount[27] |
Else valley[24] Erbalunga[12] Ersa[14] | Escutcheon[38] Evergreen oaks[41] —— to Albertacce[18] |
Felce[35] Fium Orbo source[28] | Folelli[33] —— to Piedicroce[33] |
Galeria[16] —— to forests of Filosorma[16] Ghisonaccia[32] —— to Ghisoni [29] Ghisoni[29] —— to Ghisonaccia [29] Giraglia island[14] | Golo source[19] Gozzi mount[22] Grosso mount[21] Guagno baths[23] Guitera baths[25] |
History[37] | |
Ile Rousse[15] Incudine mount[25] | Inzecca[29] Isolaccio[28] |
Kyrie Eleison[28] | |
Lacciola col[17] La Piana[17] Lavatoggio[21] Leone coronato[30] | Lonca valley[16] Lozzi[19] Lugo[8] Lugo di Nazza[32] Lumio[15] Luri[12] |
Maddalena isle[25] —— Alza[36] —— Arghiavara[36] —— Ballatojo[36] —— Bavella[36] —— Canareccia[28] —— Castellaccio[18] —— Castelluccio[36] —— Ghiraldino[28] —— Marmano[28] —— Ometa[16] —— Popaja[19] —— Rocchio-Pinzuto[36] | Maison S. Antoine[28] —— Sciattarina[18] —— Scrivano[28] —— Tagnone[18] —— Zipitoli[24] Manganella col[9] Mariana[34] Marmano forest[28] Menta col[24] Moltifao[20] Moor’s head[38] Morosaglia[35] Morsaglia[14] Mouflon[2] |
Nelson[26] Nino lake[19] | Niolo[19] |
Olivese[27] Olive trees[20] Olmeto[26] Olmi-Capella[21] | Ometa ilex forest[16] Oninanda col[20] Orezza spa[34] Oro mount[1] |
Padulella[33] Pagliorba mount[1] Palasca[22] Palneca[28] Pancheraccia[33] Paoli[39] Patron Saint[38] Pecorile[14] Perticato forest[16] Pertusato mount[31] Petrella col[19] Piano[34] —— to Prunete[35] Pines[7] Pinus Laricio[7] Pinus Pinaster[7] Poggio di Nazza[32] | Pont Diable[20] Pont du Golo[34] —— to Calvi[20] —— to Piedicroce[34] Ponteniello forest[24] Popolasca[20] Porri[34] Porta[34] Porto[16] —— to Evisa[18] —— to Ponte Francardo[18] Portopollo[32] Porto-Vecchio[31] Prato col[35] Propriano[26] —— to Solenzara [26] Prunelli source[28] —— to Alesani[33] |
Quercus Ilex[41] | |
Rapara Col[28] Retto mount[19] | Rogliano[13] |
—— to Aitone forest[17] —— to Vico[23] St. Antoine col[23] — Bernardino col[14] — Colombano col[22] — Devota[38] — Florent[14] — Georges col[24] — Gavino di Carbini[37] — Lucia di Tallano[26],[27],[32],[37] — Lucie col[12] — Maria Siché[24] — Nicolao[33] — Pietro mount[35] — Severa[12] Salario fountain[6] Sartène[27] —— to Bonifacio[30] —— to Vivario[27] | Scala di Santa Regina[10] Scozzolatojo col[29] Scrivano col[28] Sea-urchins[22] Seneca’s tower[12] Serra col[14] Sevi col[17] Silvareccio[34] Solenzara[31] —— to Sartène[36] —— to Zonza[31] Sollacaro[26] Sorba col[29] Speloncato[21] Spelunca[18] Sposata[25] Stazzona[34] Stretta[35] |
Taca Forest[27] Taravo source[28] Tartagine forest[21] Teghime col[14] | Theodore Neuhoff[32] Torre all’Osse[12] Traunato mount[20] Treccio ilex forest[16] |
Ucciani Bridge[7] | Uomo di Cagna[30] |
Vadina[8] Vecchio source[28] Vendetta[40] Venzolasca[34] Verde col[28] Verde forest[28] Vergio col[18] | Vescovato[34] —— to Porta[34] Vico[23] Ville[21] —— to Pietrapola[8] —— to Sartène[27] Vizzavona[7] |
Wyse, W.,[24] | |
Zecavo[25] | |