EZTrip.com International Destination Guide and Hotel Listings

Monte d'Oro dominates the route south of Vivario to VIZZAVONA , about 10km away. Shielded by trees, the village is invisible from the main road, so keep your eyes peeled for a turning on the right signposted for the train station - the place where the legendary bandit Bellacoscia surrendered to the police at the age of 75 . With its handful of gîtes d'étapes and restaurants, Vizzavona is an ideal place to spend a few days walking in the forest, although it gets crowded in summer when it fills with hikers taking a break from the GR20, which passes nearby.

Among the gîtes here, top of the range is I Laricci (tel & fax 04.95.47.21.12; 220-300F/¬34-46; closed Nov-March) a recently converted alpine-style building with pitched roofs and charming Moroccan carpets decorating the walls of its dining room. A cheaper option is Resto-Refuge-Bar "De la Gare" (tel 04.95.47.21.19, fax 04.95.47.22.20; 160-220F/¬24-34; closed Nov- May), directly opposite the station, which offers a good half-board deal. For more atmosphere, head 3km further south along the main road to the hamlet of LA FOCE , where the venerable old Monte d'Oro (tel 04.95.47.21.06, www.sitec.fr/monte.oro ; 300-400F/¬46-61) occupies a prime spot overlooking the valley - with its period furniture and fittings, fin-de-siècle feel and magnificent terrace looking out onto the mountain, it ranks among the most congenial hotels in Corsica. Adjacent to the Monte d'Oro , slap on the main road, is a little gîte d'étape (tel 04.95.45.25.27; 160-220F/¬24-34) that's nowhere near as gloomy as it looks and makes a handy fallback if the places down in the village are fully booked. The nearest bona fide campsite is the Savaggio , 4km north of Vizzavona (tel 04.95.47.22.14); note that the train will make a special request stop at the site if you give the conductor plenty of warning.