Urtaca: Village History and Hiking Trails

Urtaca can be explored through two main themes: the old village center with its cultural heritage and the hiking trails through the surrounding landscape. If you are looking for a hotel in Urtaca, these themes can help shape your travel plans. In the village, narrow lanes lead to its oldest houses; churches and a chapel preserve further historical traces. Along the described trails, you will encounter old connecting paths, traces of the cultural landscape, and panoramic views over the Canale Valley.

Old Quarter and Walking Tour of Urtaca

U Tricello is Urtaca’s old quarter and home to the village’s oldest houses. Its narrow lanes can be explored on foot. The historic village center offers a distinctive way to discover Urtaca: not by taking a longer hike, but by following the paths between the old houses and through the lanes.

A walking tour of Urtaca continues to a funtana vecchia. The spring is a specifically named destination on a walk through the village. Together with U Tricello, it offers another point of reference when planning explorations on foot, while the old quarter is distinguished above all by its houses and lanes.

Church, Harmonium, and Chapel

The Eglise de l'Annunziata was built in 1640. The church is also home to a monumental Alexandre harmonium, classified as a historic monument. The construction date and the instrument offer two different ways of approaching the village’s history: one points to the period when the church building was erected, the other to a significant historic instrument.

The Chapelle San Nicolao houses a statue of Saint Nicholas. It was purchased in Bari, Italy, in August 1857. The precise date and place of purchase give this work of art its own historical context. Comparing the two religious sites reveals different stories: at the Eglise, the construction date and harmonium take center stage; at the Chapelle, the statue and its purchase in Bari.

Hikes from Urtaca

The Balade patrimoniale d'Urtaca à Lama is a 5 km out-and-back hike starting from Urtaca. It follows an old path that once connected Urtaca and Lama. Along the route are shepherds’ shelters, stables, threshing floors, dry-stone walls, centuries-old olive trees, and terraces that are part of the cultural landscape. This sequence brings the landscape’s agro-pastoral character to life: buildings, working land, and walls form part of the route, along with the old olive trees.

The hike is considered accessible and has an elevation gain of 230 m. Its features include panoramic views over the Canale Valley and the surrounding landscapes. The Balade therefore combines cultural and historical traces along the trail with views of the landscape. The 5 km route is an out-and-back hike; you can also take the elevation gain and panoramas into account when deciding whether to choose it.

Another route mentioned is Rando 32: San Pancraziu, a 4.5 km route in Urtaca. In direct comparison, it is 0.5 km shorter than the Balade patrimoniale d'Urtaca à Lama. This gives you two similar, but not identical, route lengths to consider. A well-defined out-and-back path also leads to Bocca San Pancraziu at 969 m. Check the condition of this trail again before setting out.

Between the lanes of U Tricello, the historical objects in the church and chapel, and the hiking trails, the focus of your travel plans can shift without any one theme having to define your stay. You can discover Urtaca through its village history or focus on the routes to Lama and Bocca San Pancraziu.

Discover more destinations: Pietracorbara, Piedicroce, Santo-Pietro-Di-Venaco, Talasani, Borgo, Vallecalle, Lavatoggio, Biguglia

For the broader travel overview: Haute-Corse.