Bustanico: Architecture, History and Nature

Bustanico offers several distinct reasons to visit: church architecture, historical remembrance, and a designated natural area. A walk through the lanes leads to the village’s architectural features; hikers can also find the starting point of a section of the Mare a Mare Nord. For planning purposes, the village’s architecture, history, and landscape can be considered as separate areas of interest.

Churches and Architectural Features

A walk through the village lanes offers the opportunity to explore Bustanico’s architectural features. The parish church of Saint-Césaire has an elongated floor plan, a single-nave body, and a flat-ended choir. The nave forms the main space; the choir gives the building a flat end. Two side chapels are connected to each other. The ceiling features trompe-l’œil paintings that use optical illusion to make a painted surface appear three-dimensional. The floor plan, arrangement of the chapels, and ceiling show different aspects of the same church building.

The Chapelle Saint-Antoine, also known as sant’Antone, also has a single nave, but is built of schist masonry. It is partly plastered with lime and has a long, sloping schist roof. Compared with the parish church, the emphasis here is on construction and materials: schist is used in both the masonry and the roof, while the lime plaster covers only part of the chapel. At Saint-Césaire, by contrast, the elongated floor plan and connected side chapels define the architectural form.

Another architectural point of interest is the bread oven, Four à pain (Bustanico soprano), which is privately owned. A bakehouse stands in front of the oven; the oven mouth, opening, and hearth are made of schist. The description therefore links the oven to its own bakehouse and specifies its schist components.

Remembering 1729

A monument on Square Cardone commemorates Antone De Franchi, known as “Cardone.” He was from Bustanico and is considered the instigator of the 1729 uprising against the Genoese. Bustanico is associated with the beginning of the Corsican Revolution in 1729; Corsican independence was proclaimed later by Pasquale Paoli. The uprising and the later proclamation are distinct stages in this historical context. The monument links a named individual to the uprising, while the reference to Paoli places it in the broader course of events.

Landscape and Hiking

Bustanico is part of the “Landes et pelouses sommitales du Monte Piano-Maggiore” ZNIEFF area. The area includes plateaus with low-growing vegetation, used as summer grazing land by livestock kept in extensive conditions. The description thus links the vegetation of the plateaus with an expressly seasonal use: summer is specified as the grazing season. Under the Habitats Directive, the area is designated as a ZSC, SIC, and PSIC. While the walk through the lanes focuses on architecture, the emphasis here is on plateaus and summer pastures.

A section of the Mare a Mare Nord hiking trail begins in Bustanico. Check the route status before setting out. A village walk and a section of the hiking trail appeal to different interests: one leads to the architectural features in the lanes, while the other offers a hiking option.

Corsican Products

You can try Corsican products at a restaurant in the village. As you should check whether the restaurant is open before your trip, it is best to ask in advance what is available.

Discover more destinations: Piana, Sant'antonino, Urtaca, Orneto, Erbalunga, Vallecalle, Albertacce, Pino

For the regional travel overview: Haute-Corse.