Ponte d’Alisu, Zalana. A short and nice walk in the Corsican Nature
We are taking a walk today to the “Ponte d’Alisu”, an old Genovese bridge that crosses the Bravone River. This path is one of the many available in this region, “A Serra”. It is an area situated on the eastern part of the island, somehow the hinterland of Aleria. The ancient “Pieve” (religious ward) of the Serra is composed of many villages: Moita, Matra, Zuani, Ampriani, Zalana, Pianello, and Tallone. So if you are around Aleria, and may have already experienced the coastal path we talked about in a previous article, you surely want to try a little walk into nature.
A walk to the Ponte d’Alisu is a good pick for anyone who is looking for a half-day walk. The path goes from the Cross of Matra (here on Google Maps) to the village of Zalana. It is a back-and-forth walk, so feel free to start either from the village or from the Cross. At some point you have the opportunity to make a round; but in the end, you’ll have to re-do almost half of the walk on the same path. The photo above should make things more clear by zooming on the board.
The information board announces a 3h45mn walk, which is fairly accurate if you take your time. Or if you are in the company of children. I would say that this quiet hike is doable for kids. But as always, it depends on their physical ability and their habit toward elevation (which is also true for adults). The elevation gain is not that important (640m+ approximatively), and a good part of the path is shaded. So the conditions are good for a family outing. But (please!) don’t forget that even though we are in the mid-mountain and close to some villages, the mountain is still the mountain: be sure to bring water and walk with adapted shoes.
I would recommend this walk if you’re looking for a short experience. A way to mix a walk in nature, village discovery, and a bit of culture too. The Ponte d’Alisu is a nice example of Genovese heritage in Corsica. It is one of the many bridges built in Corsica during centuries. This one was erected during the XVIth century.
The path leading to the bridge will let you cross a forest of chestnuts, walk on this old bridge, witness the remains of an old moulin, and take some steps on the “ricciate”, the traditional cobbled paths of Corsica. Before the present roads were made, paths linking one village to another one often used to be what we use today as hiking trails. So we often find traces from the times those paths were traveled by people and carriage, just like the “ricciate”.
