Sartène Old Town

Sartène sits on a granite spur 300 metres above the Rizzanese valley, a 20-minute drive from Propriano. The old quarter of Santa Anna is a tight maze of tall stone houses, stairways and vaulted passages, reached through the arch beside the town hall on Place Porta. Start on Place Porta, the café-lined main square, and look into the granite church of Sainte-Marie, where the heavy cross and chains used in the Good Friday Catenacciu procession hang by the door. Then wander downhill through the lanes to the viewpoints over the valley. Combine the old town with the archaeology museum five minutes away, and keep an eye on the clock: the return trip to the port takes 20 minutes without traffic.