‘The most Corsican of Corsican towns’, according to Prosper Mérimée: a granite town above the Rizzanèse valley, surrounded by prehistoric sites.
South of Propriano, inland, Sartène is a stronghold of Corsican tradition. Prosper Mérimée, who came here as inspector of historic monuments, called it the ‘most Corsican of Corsican towns’.
Sartène has kept its massive, imposing architecture. It is a fortified town in a position that is easy to defend. To see why, enter the old town from place de la Libération, the main square. Go through the passage under the town hall and you reach the Manighedda quarter, the oldest in Sartène.
Photo : Mussklprozz, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
For all its ancient look, Sartène is not that old. The Genoese fortified it in the 16th century on a rocky promontory that was hard to reach, to protect the people of the surrounding hamlets from raids from the sea. The ramparts were not enough: in 1583, Hassan Veneziano, king of Algiers, took the town and carried off 400 of its inhabitants into slavery.
Sartène is the centre of a region rich in prehistory, between the Rizzanèse valley and the Tizzano coast. The Cauria plateau with its megaliths and the Roccapina lion are about half an hour away by road. Allow a full day for the town and its surroundings. To combine it with the Valinco, Bonifacio or the Alta Rocca, see our guide to south Corsica.
Updated 2 November 2026
The houses overlap, linked by arches and separated by narrow lanes; the buildings look enormous, and the stone often changes between the first and second levels. Pitraghju is the quarter of the first settlement, and Manighedda the oldest quarter of the town: you enter it through the vaulted passage under the town hall.
In the centre of Sartène, place de la Libération, formerly place Porta, is where locals meet to talk, about politics in particular. The war memorial stands here, overlooked by the town hall, the former palace of the Genoese governors from the early 16th century, partly listed as a historic monument. The vaulted passage links place de la Libération with place du Maghja.
On place de Guardiola, this late 16th-century bartizan and the stretch of rampart beside it are the last traces of the town’s Genoese fortifications. They are listed historic monuments (private property, seen from the street).
On place de la Libération, Sainte-Marie church is the starting point of the Catenacciu procession on the evening of Good Friday. After the procession, the penitent’s cross and chain are displayed inside.
The Sartène museum of prehistory and archaeology, which holds the Musée de France label, displays finds from the prehistoric sites of the south of the island. Visit it before or after Cauria. Ask the tourist office for opening times.
The Sartenais has the largest prehistoric sites on the island, all less than half an hour’s drive away.
On the Cauria plateau, the Fontanaccia dolmen, listed as a historic monument as early as 1889, is the best preserved on the island. A few minutes’ walk away, the Bronze Age menhir alignments of Stantari and Renaghju have been listed since 1975. Allow about half an hour by road from Sartène, outside summer and without stops.
About half an hour’s drive from Sartène towards Bonifacio, a granite rock shaped by erosion takes the form of a lion that seems to keep watch over the sea and the Genoese tower. See our page on the Roccapina lion.
Over the Rizzanèse, this humpbacked Genoese bridge, A Spin’a Cavallu (‘shaped like a horse’s back’), was built in the 13th and 15th centuries. It has been a listed historic monument since 1976. A quarter of an hour by road from Sartène, outside summer and without stops.
This large convent overlooks the town and the Rizzanèse valley. You can see it as you arrive in Sartène on the road from Propriano.
Of all the Good Friday processions held in Corsica that evening, this is the most striking. At its head walks the great penitent, barefoot, in a red robe and hood: nobody knows who he is except the parish priest. He carries a heavy cross and a chain on his ankle, the catenacciu, which gives the procession its name.
He is helped by the white penitent, who plays the part of Simon of Cyrene. Next come the black penitents, carrying the dead Christ, then the clergy and the faithful, to the sound of sacred chants. The procession leaves Sainte-Marie church at about 9.30pm; the next one will take place on Friday 26 March 2027. Locals know the spots where the penitent falls: arrive early to find a place.
The Corse Sartène vineyard area, a named zone within the Vin de Corse appellation, covers sixteen communes around Sartène and the Valinco. Several estates welcome visitors for tastings.
The Sartenais coast has seen little building: coves and sandy beaches around Tizzano and below the Roccapina lion.
Sartène has little accommodation: many visitors stay on the coast and come up to the town for the day.
To sleep among the granite lanes, within walking distance of everything. Few places to stay, and parking is difficult.
Easier to reach by car, a few minutes’ walk from place de la Libération.
Sartène’s largest hotels are here and on the road to Propriano, which continues on from the cours.
Country houses and gîtes, in peaceful surroundings, between Sartène and Propriano.
Here a car is essential, for shopping as well as for the beach.
For a beach stay, away from the bustle.
The seaside hamlet of Tizzano is a small harbour at the end of the road. Further south, the cove of Roccapina opens out at the foot of the lion rock.
Propriano and Olmeto have the widest choice of accommodation. See visit Propriano.
Propriano is about 15 minutes from Sartène by car, outside summer and without stopping.
All places to stay in Sartène→
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The nearest airport is Figari Sud Corse, 44 km away according to the airport. Ajaccio is 77 km away. See flying to Corsica.
The nearest port is Propriano, with overnight sailings to Marseille by Corsica Linea and to Toulon by Corsica Ferries. See the ferry crossing.
Sartène has no railway station. The Via Corsica C1 coach line links Ajaccio, Propriano, Sartène, Figari and Porto-Vecchio. See getting around Corsica.
Leave the car at the edge of town: the lanes of the old town are narrow and mostly pedestrianised.
In spring, for Good Friday and the prehistoric sites when the sun is bearable; in September, for the beach and the vineyards. In high summer, visit Cauria early in the morning. See when to go to Corsica.
Half a day for the old town, a full day with Cauria and Roccapina. Sartène combines well with a stay in Propriano or Bonifacio.
Office de tourisme du Sartenais Valinco Taravo, 14 cours Sœur Amélie, 20100 Sartène. Tel. +33 4 95 77 15 40. Website: lacorsedesorigines.com.
