Castagniccia Region

The Castagniccia region is located about 30 kilometres north of Aleria and 50 kilometres inland in the direction of Mont San Petrone . It is a hamlet dotted with tiny villages, steep forested hillsides, a few olive trees and vineyards and the largest chestnut forest on the planet.

Yes, you heard it right. The chestnut trees were sown back in the middle ages so as to make the town food-secure as chestnut flour can be used to bake bread besides other edible items. Over the century this region has gone from being the most densely populated to a sparsely populated sector. Exploring, travelling and experiencing this hamlet is an affair with no fast moves. There are no roads for one to travel via car, narrow maze-like lanes that dilly-dally about the hills in meanderings. There are quite a few restaurants, churches and cafes to be visited and seated in. Besides these, a few other places worth visiting in the Castagniccia region include Piedicroce, Orezza and the ruins of the convent La Porta and Campana.