At the war memorial, follow the sky-blue arrows and the rust and blue signs. Head down towards the bottom of the village, passing in front of the town hall.

Alta Rocca Explor Games

Discover a new way to explore the region and its heritage, with Alta Rocca Explor Games® "In the footsteps of Rinucciu", at Serra di Scopamena!

Help archaeologist Petru on his quest through the village, deciphering the riddles and following the tracks and clues left by Rinucciu della Rocca, the last lord of the place.
Grab your smartphone and immerse yourself in a treasure hunt along the paths of the medieval village of Alta Rocca, alone or with friends. The clues and riddles left behind will help you make progress and collect points.

Estimated duration: 1h30 - from 7 to 77 years old

If you're feeling more adventurous, you can take an educational hike along the "A strada di Rinucciu" to the Punta di a Cucciurpula.

Estimated duration of the guided walk: 3h

Download the free Alta Rocca Explor Games® app on Apple or Android and set off on your adventure!

Turn left.
Watch out for traffic!

Saint Nicolas Church

The Chiesa district, which was the village until the 13th century, is home to San Niculao church. It offers a vast panorama of the Rizzanese valley. The church, restored in 1931, has a square bell tower with battlements and a façade honouring Saint Francis of Assisi with wrought-iron scenes from his life. It also has a marble font in the shape of a chalice dating from 1677, a white marble statue of Saint Anthony and six stained glass windows depicting St Nicolas, a Virgin and Child, St Peter, St Joseph, St James and St Anthony.

A Scopa

A café, restaurant and grocery shop, this establishment is centrally located in Serra di Scopamena and boasts a terrace with uninterrupted views over the valley.

Take the few steps to the right between the houses.

Follow the lane to the next junction.

Turn left uphill.

Punta di a Cucciurpula

This summit rises to an altitude of 1,141 metres and offers a 360° panoramic view of the surrounding area, the village of Serra-di-Scopamena, the Aiguilles de Bavella, the expanse of the Cuscionu...

Take the paved path on the right, following the signs.

Les charbonnières

The platform you can see here is an old charcoal kiln. Wood was charred in a grindstone in the middle of the forest. Combustion required great technical skill. In fact, despite its modest appearance, the grindstone was the result of a very elaborate construction. It took the form of a "hut" made of stacked wood then covered with wet earth, which allowed the wood to be heated without oxygen. The whole process was ceremonial in nature, tinged with symbolism: the harmony of the construction, the use of tools designed on site, the transmission, often from father to son, of traditional gestures and technical terms.
Corsica had two main advantages for this production: its forests with particularly interesting species (oak, strawberry and heather) and its mastery of the carbonisation technique.
The 19th century saw coal transcend from being a basic necessity to becoming the essential fuel for the great industrial adventure. Coal was the only way to heat and cook food. Then, with the advent of metallurgy, the export of this black bread to the continent and to Italy took off.

Continue along the path, following the sky-blue arrows.

Protohistoric site of Cucciurpula

These strange stone ovals that you see scattered around you formed a village of around 35 dwellings. They were discovered in 2003 and excavations began in 2008. These excavations have enabled us to date the oldest of these buildings to the 12th century BC, which is now over 3,000 years old. Most of the objects found during the excavations (fragments and shards of pottery, metal tools, traces of ancient hearths, etc.) date from the Iron Age (8th century BC). Archaeologists believe that this is the largest protohistoric "village" known in Corsica (to date).

This site was not chosen by chance: most of the dwellings face south, like our villages today, to take advantage of the light and warmth. In the vicinity of the dwellings, there are also numerous rock shelters (under rock piles) that may have served as refuges, storage areas or even burial sites. So, since the dawn of time, our mountain refuge has benefited mankind by providing shelter and the first food resources.

If you look carefully, you'll see the remains of an Iron Age dwelling.
These dwellings were surrounded by an agropastoral landscape (cereal crops and extensive livestock) that gradually became steadily more fertile and then covered in forest as the site was abandoned.

Continue right along the path.

Rock shelter A Surbuddaninca

Here, in the rocky maze below Casteddu di a Cucciurpula, is a cave known as a Surbuddaninca. It was here, in the heart of this natural fortress, that during the Second World War the maquis from neighbouring villages hid. This beautiful shelter overlooked the road to Quenza and had an unobstructed view of the entire Alta Rocca.
The maquisards could watch for convoys and enemy troop movements.
The Allies dropped weapons and supplies by plane, which the Resistance fighters recovered and hid in rock shelters.
From the villages, young Resistance fighters went up to supply the maquisards. They brought them documents, information and food.

From 9 September 1943, the maquisards of Cucciurpula harassed the German troops to prevent a large division from reaching Quenza, where the Germans had a large depot of equipment and fuel and blew up 200 tonnes of explosives. They took part in the fierce fighting at Carbini, on the road to the Bacinu pass, a strategic route to the eastern route.
Through their commitment, sacrifice and courage, they contributed to the liberation of Corsica.

Turn right onto the ridge, following the interpretation signs.

Serra di Scopamena water mill

On the Serra di Scopamena Heritage Trail, stands U Fragnu, the water mill fed by an aqueduct, proudly restored and equipped with interpretive panels. Throughout the year, it hosts exhibitions and guided heritage tours. A fine example of vernacular architecture.

To reach the Punta di a Cucciurpula, turn right and begin the short climb.
Be careful, and use the facilities to climb gently!

Serra-di-Scopamena heritage trail

The heritage trail takes in the village, its chestnut grove and its rich heritage, with its "u siccatoghju" chestnut dryer, its "u fragnu" water mill, its old vegetable gardens, fountains and wash-house.

Gîte d'étape Le Scopos

Stopover gîte located on several hiking routes, including the Mare a Mare Sud trail
Accommodation and catering

Retrace your steps to continue the route.

Follow the path to the right, following the sky-blue arrows and signs.

Continue along the path on the right, following the sky-blue arrows and signs.

Continue straight ahead on the path.

Continue straight ahead on the path.

Turn left to reach the village.

Follow the path between the houses.

Turn left.

Turn right down the main street.

Cross the road and take the paved path down opposite.
Watch out for traffic!

Continue left down the lane.

Take the paved path on the right up to the finishing point of the route.