Monti a Mare

Having completed our hike at the highest road pass in Corsica we are now going to head for the seaside town of Porto less than 10 km away as the crow flies but almost 1500M lower in altiude. To get there we will be making a very steep descent through the Gorges di Spelunca area past the mountainside towns of Evisa and Porto.

We stop off first in Evisa. Dana is pretty tired from the hike and we decide this will make a good lunch stop. It's a small narrow town overlooking the gorge on one side. The guide highly recommends a local restaurant, A Tramula which has a small balcony with a teriffic view. We arrive just in time to snag the last table available for their lunch service.

The menu includes a very delicious sounding three course meal but that really seems like too much food. Instead, Dana and I opt to share two appetizers, each of which turns out to be as large as a regular dish. The first, a Brocciu omelet is very light and perfectly cooked but a little light on the flavor side. The second is a delicious chestnut flavored Terrine au Sanglier which is essentially a pate of pig (or chopped liver made with pig instead of chicken liver). Given the abundance of local chestnuts as food for animals, the local pigs end up having a chestnutty flavor to them. A unique quality to Corsican Charcuterie.

Lunch over we get back into the car and continue our journey to the coast. Originally, I had hoped to hike along a trail that runs between Evisa and Ota by descending into the Gorges di Spelunca. Instead we're taking the long way around via the D84 which follows a long and winding course around the spectacular gorges. The road, as is typical, hugs the side of the mountain on one side leaving the other side open to the towering rock walls and dramatic vistas of this unique landscape. I got a few pictures from the car but the best way to see it yourself is to go to Google Maps and look up Evisa, Corsica. You'll see the D84 as it  winds it's way towards the coast. Zoom in for a street view somewhere along the twisty curves and you should be able to see the same awe inspiring and slightly terrifying views.