Walking and relaxing in Piana, chemin muletier, Capo d'orto and Ficajola beach

Nearby Destinations

Other guides in Corsica from Bastia to Bonifacio, Highlights of the West seashore

view the Corsica from Bastia to Bonifacio, Highlights of the West seashore guide bundle

Nearby Guides

Walking and relaxing in Piana, chemin muletier, Capo d'orto and Ficajola beach

Viewed 4044 times

(3 votes)

Difficulty: Moderate
Length: 7.6 miles / 12.2 km
Duration: Full day

Family Friendly

Download to Phone

View Large Map

View Photos

Overview: Piana is a small village that has a great view on the natural reserve of Scandola and Porto bay.
The region of Piana is included in UNESCO world heritage and belongs to the highly selective "most beautiful village or France" guide. The visit of the village is beyond the scope of this guide as Piana is mainly famous for its red rocks with mysterious shapes.
This guide describe a long walk including the Capo d'Orto and the chemin muletier (could be done separately as well). As this hike is a half day walk the guide also include one sugestion to relax after the walk: the beach of Ficajola.
Capo d'Orto and chemin muletier is a perfect walk to enjoy the show of those strange red rocks and great panoramic view on the bay of Porto and Scandola.
Ficajola is a very small wild beach where there's absolutely nothing but the sea, the beach and big cliffs of red rocks with mysterious shape.

Tips: Where to stay in Piana: There's a few hotels there and I would suggest the hotel Scandola (www.hotelscandola.com). You could stay 2-5 nights in Piana as there's several beaches and hike to do.

Where to eat: In Hotel Les Roches Rouges, mainly for the old style dining room.

Capo d'Orto and Chemin muletier: 6 hours walk. Start it early in the morning (7h) if you want to avoid the high temperatures during your way up. Temperatures start to increase over 30 Celsius at 10am usually. Have 3L beverages with you and something to picnic at the top. The first hour of the hike is in the shadow of the chestnut trees: wonderful. Then you'll walk in a semi-desert region surrounded with those strange-shape red rocks. Fantastic view at the top. There are two different lanes to go to the Capo d'Orto, you may use (as i did) one to go up and the other one to go down. On the way back just have a ten minutes walk on the "chemin muletier", the ancient road between Piana and Ota where there are lots of stones with strange shape...

Ficajola beach: you should be back from the walk around 1-3pm. As the sunset is at 10pm during the summer days, you'll have plenty of time to relax on this very cute small beach just 2km by car from the starting point of the hike. Deep water and wild life in the water: ideal for snorkeling. Water temperature over 20 Celsius in July and August. Round pebble beach, not that comfortable. Climb on the rocks near the beach, to dive. Very funny!

Points of Interest

map

Parking

On the D81, coming from Porto, turn left a few meters before an old bridge located in a curve on the right.
After 50 meters on a clay road, you'll see a big parking of clay on your left. Park there.
Cross the soccer field, in the left opposite to the parking there's the starting point of the hike.

map

The chemin muletier, old road from Piana to Ota

This small walk is perfect to enjoy the red rocks and their mysterious shapes.
To do with very small children or as a small hike as you'll be back from the Capo d'Orto's hike.
You may also enjoy this 1 hour hike at the end of the day (8-9pm). In the sunset, red rocks seems to burn and you'll have the famous feeling of being surrounded of devils and monsters. Great!

Les roches rouges (Piana, Corsica, France) Photo

Le cheval (Piana, Corsica, France) Photo

La forêt des cairns (Piana, Corsica, France) Photo

La route de Piana à Porto (Piana, Corsica, France) Photo

Les roches rouges de Piana (Piana, Corsica, France) Photo

Le chemin muletier de Piana à Ota (Piana, Corsica, France) Photo

Le sentier muletier (Piana, Corsica, France) Photo

map

On the way up: red rocks and shadow of the trees.

After a few minutes walking in the red rocks cathedral, the first hour of the hike is in the shadow of the chestnut trees.
Chestnuts are one of the greatest culinary delight of Corsica as well as fig, grape, dried beef or dried wild boar and ewe or goat's cheese. All this delightful food may be an excellent picnic to enjoy in the shadow of the chestnut trees on the way back although i would suggest to picnic at the top of the Capo d'Orto. Maybe you could enjoy a short nap here on your way back, to adopt the corsican rhythm.

Roches rouges de piana (Piana, Corsica, France) Photo

map

Roches rouges de Piana

This fantastic cliff that seem to melt in the sun is just on the left of the lane. It is called the cathedral. Be careful, there are a lot of junctions and only few indications but GPS data are highly accurate in this guide.

map

On the summit of the Capo d'Orto

The Capo d'Orto offers great scenic views on the North coast with Porto, Scandola and on the South coast with the Capo Rosso. That's a perfect place to enjoy your picnic as there's a refreshing wind on the top usually.

Piana et Capo Rosso (Porto, Corsica, France) Photo

Porto et Scandola (Porto, Corsica, France) Photo

Le col, et les rochers aux formes de gargouilles et chimères médiévales, un brin plus bronzées que sous le ciel de Paris...... (Porto, Corsica, France) Photo

map

Junction to Ficajola

Very nice small road to Ficajola with some panoramic views. The road start in front of the market, there is no other market, so by some beverage and food there if you want to picnic on the beach. Pay attention to not miss this junction.

Sunset seen from the village of Piana Photo

map

Another small junction

The second junction is a few meters after a very small village, pay attention to not miss it...

map

Parking

You can park in the small parking lot to the side of the road. It is only a 5 minute walk from here until you reach the beach, Ficajola.

map

Ficajola beach, famous corsican beach

Ficajola is accessible by car (10 minutes from Piana). Ficajola is perfect to relax after the walks of the chemin muletier and the Capo d'Orto.
There's absolutely nothing but sand and water there.
Only a few boat visit this famous beach, most of the people do not find it, neither by car nor by boat... So you should be quite quiet there...
At worst you'll have to share this tiny paradise with some kayak coming from Porto (rare).
Most of the people you may meet on the beach are Piana's inhabitant. You'll see the youngest climbing the wall to dive. That's great, i dived from one of these strange shape red rock, unforegettable!