South Corsica Residence: visit Cauria

For those who take an interest in the history of Corsica, you can visit many prehistoric sites close to your accommodation in Corsica especially Cauria. The plateau of Cauria, which is located in the vicinity of Sartene, is famous for the three megalithic sites, which Prosper Merimee described in his 1840 book ‘Notes of a Corsican trip'. Due to strong conservation in this area, the 3 sites, which spread over 100 acres, have remained unspoilt since that time.

The Stantari are located on a pass north-east of the plateau. The monoliths were organised in a double alignment positioned towards North and South. The I Stantari alignment is made of 30 carved monoliths 7 of which would appear to represent warriors of the time. The menhir alignment of Rinaghju is located at the south extremity of the plateau. Located around an important habitat dating back to the ancient Neolithic period, this alignment most likely dates back from the middle of the 5th century BC.  It is afterward at the start of the Bronze Age that the lines were better structured and completed by stele stones, then statue stones. The Funtanaccia dolmen called 'Stazzona di u diavulu' (the devil's forge ) is the most symbolic monument of Megalithic Corsica. Located on a small elevation at the foot of the U Gregu hill, it is the best preserved of the Corsican dolmens. It is made of a monolithic paving stone resting on six astonishingly aligned uprights and is positioned East-West perpendicular to the alignments of I Stantari and Rinalghju. It was a collective burial place of which the 4sqm funeral chamber (one of the most important of Corsica) opens up facing the rising sun.