soccia - a soccia

Built in an amphitheatre at an altitude of 747 m on a ridge at the foot of Capu a u Pantanu, Soccia offers an architecture with facades, porches and old ovens of character and typical of the villages of the interior.
In the heart of a natural cirque surrounding the small valley of the Izzola, Soccia is a paradise for lovers of green spaces: river bathing, canyoning in the Ziocu, Lake Creno, hiking, everything is there.

The commune is an ideal area for pastoralism, with large areas of mountainous pastureland next to the Niolu. A road, known to have been used since prehistoric times, once linked Soccia to Corte: the Strada Antica. This important transhumance route crossed the centre of Corsica from the mouth of the Liamone and ran along the Tavignanu valley through Pastricciola.

In terms of heritage, Soccia has many chestnut ovens, beautiful sheepfolds, the ruins of an ancient bridge and its parish church of Sainte Marie, with its lantern tower, hides a polychrome wood triptych dating from the 15th century which represents a Virgin and Child with a cherry in her hand surrounded by Saints Marcellu and Petru.

The area was devastated by Genoese repression in the Middle Ages and Soccia, like many other villages, was abandoned for a time. The area was gradually repopulated and the village we know today was formed around the parish church of Santa Maria (an ancient oratory) dedicated to the Annunciation (A Nunziata) during the modern era.

A little background information:
Very popular in the summer, a monumental cross marks the start of the Creno lake path, at the very top of the village