A pretty little mountain village in Corsica's Regional Nature Park, Olmi-Cappella is the perfect place for breathtaking hikes...
The history
Thanks to the megaliths, terraces and other lithic material found on the Escita historic site, Olmi-Cappella's origins can be dated back to prehistoric times.
The Tartagine-Melaja forest, which borders the village to the south-east, has long been the object of envy. Carthaginians, Phoenicians and even Romans in Antiquity, Moors in the High Middle Ages and Genoese in the 17th century (against whom the villagers fought valiantly).
The first written mention of Olmi appears in 1116, and it wasn't until the end of the 15th century that the hamlets of Olmi and Cappella appeared. The name Olmi-Cappella officially appeared after the French Revolution, in 1793.
The commune even became a canton in 1811, before being attached to the canton of Belgodere in 1973 (of which it remains a part today).
The village
Olmi-Cappella is the largest of the four communes of Giussani (which also includes Pioggiola, Mausoléo and Vallica).
It is surrounded by forests (chestnut in the center, pine in the southeast) and overlooks mountain passes (notably Monte Padro - 2390m altitude), making it a great place for hiking. The presence of the Tartagine river adds to this magnificent panorama.
The old Battaglini factories, the parish church of Saint Nicolas and the chapel of the brotherhood of Saint-Antoine Abbé add to the village's cachet.
Highlights
- Saint Nicolas (San Niculau) parish church
- Saint-Antoine Abbé Brotherhood Chapel
- Tartagine-Melaja Forest
- Monte Padro
- The Escita historic site
- The old Battaglini settlements
Don't miss
- Saint-Roch (San Roccu) patron saint's day, August 16
- San Parteo procession, last Sunday in July
- A Fiera Muntagnola, August 1st
