Visit Sartene, Corsica - a travel guide
Sartene is found in south-west Corsica a few kilometres into the mountains south-east of Propriano. The town has a long history of piracy, banditry and gangsters, now happily largely given to more peaceful occupations.
The wealth of the town is founded on the highly rated Sartene wine. The tall buildings, in the same rock as the steep hill on which they stand, look almost unnaturally solid and permanent.
The centre of Sartene is around the Place de la Liberation, previously and commonly still known as Place Porta, and with nice views across the valley. The old Governor's Palace is also in the square.The guillotine that once found service in the Place has given way to tourists!
Sainte Marie church, with its characteristic Corsican belltower is on the edge of the square, and contains the cross and chain that are worn by a penitent in a long procession through the town each Easter.
Enjoy a rest in one of the cafes of the Place Porta then descend into the fascinating old town of Santa Anna, with its narrow streets crammed with a incredible medley of tall ancient houses, linked by arches, arcades and alleys, and sometimes blocked by unexpected rocks, which is spread out down the hill below. A myriad of ever narrower passageways and staircases provide a fascinating glimpse of a Corsica that is surely unchanged since hundreds of years ago.
Sartène is often used as a base for exploring the major prehistoric sites of Corsica at Cauria and Palaggiu, with their fine dolmen and menhirs, and the standing men stone carvings at Stantari, along with the spectacular wilderness interior of this part of Corsica, while also being within easy reach of the beaches around Propriana.
Because of the proximity to all this prehistory it is no surprise that Sartene has a Museum of Prehistory that presents some of the many artefacts that have been unearthed in the vicinity.
