VENACO - Go to Corsica

Venaco is situated in Central Corsica, in the french department of North Corsica, the town of Venaco gets to Centru Di Corsica. It is the administrative centre of the administrative district of Venacais, counting 7 towns :
– Casanova,
– Muracciole,
– Poggio Di Venaco,
– Riventosa,
– Santa Petru Di Venaco (Saint Pierre de Venaco) and
– Vivario.

Its territory extends from the forest of Vizzavona to the gates of Corte, the ancient capital of Corsica.

The village is nestled on the slopes of Monte Cardo, the third highest peak in the Rotondo massif (2453m).

Venaco incorporates the villages of Venaco and Lugo as well as the hamlets of Serraggio and Campo Vecchio.

A FEW NUMBERS

Population : 766 inhabitants (FNISES 2014 Sources)
Surface area : 5 372 ha

TRANSPORT

Venaco is linked up to Bastia and Ajaccio by the departmental road 93.
To get to the region, you can take the train, operated by the National French Railways (SNCF), which runs between Bastia and Ajaccio (it is the only existing railway line on the island).

HISTORY

Due to the strategic importance of Venaco (municipality) in Central Corsica, Romans came and settled here !
Today, traces of this past are still to be found, such as the stone-paved road between Venaco and Aleria.
In May 1768, the Republic of Genoa gives Corsica to the French. The parish of Venaco, now under French administration, becomes the parish of Vecchio, until the French Revolution of 1789, when it becomes the Canton of Serraggio in 1790.
Then, the municipalities of Lugo Di Venaco and Sarragio join together to form the present municipality of Venaco.

CULTURAL HERITAGE

– Saint Michel Parish Church (18th century),
– Vieux Lugo Church (16th century), this one is the church of the ancient village left at the end the of the 18th century,
– Saint Pierre – Saint Paul Church built on the ancient chapel,
– The San Bastianu and St Elisée Chapels,
– Eiffel Bridge, railway viaduct built by Gustave Eiffel (end of the 19th century) registered as Historical Monument,
– The Bona Castle, ancient house of the Count Pozzo Di Borgo,
– Monument to the dead close to the castle is now the town hall.

NATURAL HERITAGE

In this land of shepherds (and farmers), there are many sites that give evidence to the transhumance history of the region, e.g. the trails leading to the sheepfolds of Cavallerecce at an altitude of 1736m above the chapel of St Elisée.
Along the trails you can see two stone huts forming a half circle and a milking enclosure. From here you have an unrestricted view of the hamlets and of the Bozio mountains.
There are also many lovely lakes in this region, e.g. the lakes of Melo and Capitello, which you can see on the GR20 trail.