Walk : A family walk, offering some shade from the sun along the way.
Start : From Porticcio to the isthmus of Isolella about 6 km = 15 min by car.
History : Built in the XVI and XVII century to forewarn the attacks of the barbaresques, (the pirates of the times) the Genoese towers have become an emblematic symbol of Corsica. These towers built on the coast were used as lookout posts to warn the population of attacks. The Isolella tower was built in 1608, it is taller and slimmer than most of the other towers which line the Ajaccio Gulf.
Itinerary : Drive from Porticcio to the isthmus of Isolella, once past the housing estate « les Marines d’Isolella », carry on for 1km then turn left. This road in fact circumnavigates the isthmus, but after 800m take the left fork and park near the sign for the tower. The path for the walk to the tower starts here, it is a fairly steep climb to start with, but remains acceptable with an elevation gain of 30 to 35 m. The path is fairly well cleared and goes to the top of the isthmus where the tower stands 70 m above sea level.
Option : You can walk round the isthmus on the road which is in very bad condition for cars but a pleasant walk. If you walk round in the direction of the hands of a clock , on your left look out for the slope which will take you down to Pointe Di sette e Nave (headland of the seven sailing vessels). These sevens rocks are said to represent seven enemy sailing ships which were petrified by the virgin Mary or by St Roch depending on which version of the legend you follow.
Easy difficulty walk – 30min roundtrip
