Calenzana
Village of Balagne
In a privileged setting with the mountains as a backdrop, it offers the tranquility and quality of life of a Corsican village, with its welcoming inhabitants, its bistros where "e paghjelle e" Corsican music resounds, its good restaurants and its local produce. Calenzana is located on the Balagne craftsmen's route "A Strada di l'Artigiani".
Calenzana boasts a number of remarkable sites, including the church of Saint Blaise, a jewel of island Baroque art, the ruins of the 12th-century Romanesque church of Sainte Lucie du Sambuccu, the chapels of the Annunziata, and the 12th-century sanctuary of Ste Restitude, dedicated to Saint Restitude and her fellow martyrs.
It is also the starting point for the island's most important hiking trails, the mytic GR20 linking Calenzana to Conca, the "Trà mare è monti" which follows the coastal path on the west coast, and the ascent of Monte Grossu, culminating at 1937 m.
Calenzana's cultural event "les rencontres de musiques classiques et contemporaines" takes place every year at the end of August in a festive atmosphere to the delight of locals and holidaymakers alike.
There's also the religious festival of Saint Restitude on May 26 and 27, 2018.
During the summer season, Calenzana is bustling with the comings and goings of indefatigable hikers and the stream of holidaymakers who prefer the beautiful inland villages less than a quarter of an hour from the sea.