pastricciola

Pastricciola
Located at 600 m of altitude, the village of Pastricciola extends mainly on a territory covered with vegetation: maquis, forest of broad-leaved trees and conifers in the heart of the PRNC, surrounded by a mountainous cirque with bare peaks. It is by a road that crosses a magnificent forest of Laricio Pines that one reaches this village. It is the last village (D104) made up of several scattered hamlets. It is a homogeneous set of very old granite houses with 80 cm thick walls efficiently shaped with earth, with external staircases, large lintels and beautiful porches.

A little history:
Founded in the 18th century by the inhabitants of Guagno after having been deserted at the end of the Middle Ages like all the villages of the Cruzzini. Pastricciola has 14 hamlets. Monsignor Giustiniani, visiting the area at the beginning of the 16th century, mentions only one hamlet: Guìgliezza. In 1733, a pastoral visit mentions the hamlets of : Capezza, Giuticciu, Pastricciola and Landriaccia. In 1790, the village will be erected in commune with the name of the central hamlet.
The chestnut grove is very important, it covered 351 hectares in 1852. At the end of the 18th century, the village was renowned for its craftsmanship. Indeed, many sculptures are made of wood: spoons, forks, ladles and forks.
It is said that the ancient village was located on the left bank, at the place called Arghja, which had a building dedicated to Saint Michael, which was taken over by the current parish, also dedicated to this archangel. The toponym Pastricciola evokes a pastoral establishment.

Spread over more than 4600 hectares and leaning against the southern part of the Monte Rotondo massif, the village of Pastricciola occupies the bottom of the southernmost valley of the ancient province of Vico, that of the Cruzzini pass. Like its neighboring villages (Rezza and Azzana), it is a member of the Regional Natural Park of Corsica.

In the heart of a highly mountainous landscape, dominated by the Punta Migliarello (2,254 m), Pastricciola is a very pleasant stopover before exploring the surrounding area. The village has about a hundred inhabitants scattered in about ten hamlets scattered on the slopes of small valleys enveloped by the pine forest. It has kept its traditional character, with houses with thick granite walls, facing the parish church of Saint-Michel, perched on a thin ridge a little away from the hamlets.
Some of the houses are very old, with 80 cm thick walls built with earth, but very efficiently. However, a large part of the houses has been renovated out of obligation and concern for a better life.

The inhabitants of Pastricciola are generally old people. The young people do not remain in the village since a long time... They leave the rural areas first to work and then for the conveniences of the daily life. People come back to the village at retirement age... This question of the ageing of the population poses the problem, in the long run, of the desertification of the village: no more school (because not enough children), the local elected representatives do not live in the village anymore (or not at all). Or so few. In the past, the village had several "school groups" and was then 10 times more populated than today.

Founded at the beginning of the XVIII century, the first inhabitants of Pastricciola came from Guagno (according to the elders and the civil registers), after the latter had been deserted at the end of the Middle Ages like many other villages of the Cruzini region. In 1970 the village was established as a commune under the name of the central hamlet. The toponymy of Pastricciola refers to a pastoral settlement and thus refers to the past of the village intimately linked to pastoralism.
Indeed the culture of the chestnut was very important and covered until 1852 about 351 hectares.

On February 7, 1825, the abbot Leca of the small village of Pastricciola received a letter from Theodore Poli by which the latter summoned him to give 20 francs to his messenger. The abbot, exhausted by several ransoms already suffered, was able to give only 10 francs, and excused himself with a bill. Immediately he received a second message in which Theodore told him that something bad could happen to him if he did not pay the sum.
The poor priest was then obliged to borrow the sum of 10 francs which he sent to the bandit with a letter of apology.