Less famous and yet...
Many of you know or have seen the abandoned village of Occi in Balagna, or the equally famous village of Muna between Murzo and Rosazia. But there is a lesser known but equally interesting abandoned village: U Tassu...
Follow us on a journey of discovery that takes you back to a time not so long ago when everything was very different.
Already there before Marignana
In 1485, the village is already mentioned in a list of communities in the region, whereas Marignana is not.
It was part of one of the seven hamlets that made up Cristinacce, before it was burnt by the Genoese in 1460.
U Tassu is located in the middle of the triangle formed by the villages of Evisa, Marignana and Cristinacce, on a crossroads of mule tracks.
It was the transit point for all the trade routes of the time, playing a key role in the development of the region. It was also useful for the Niolin shepherds during the transhumance to the piaghje or to the mountains.
At its peak, the hamlet had only a few houses and 95 inhabitants according to a census of 1537.
The beginning of the 20th century saw the construction of the D24 road which led to the gradual decline of Tassu.
Its last inhabitant, Pascal Battesti, died in 1935. Today, the paths are used only by hikers and hunters.
In the 1970s, a few "hippies" decided to settle down to get closer to nature, but the experience was short-lived.
Nowadays, the Marignane association "Scopre", which has restored the roof of the church and a fresco inside, organises a small festival where a mass is celebrated every 29 June.
Why don't we go?
Short easy walk
Let's go: from Porto, take the direction of Evisa (D84) then Marignana (D24). You then cross the hamlet of Chidazzu, then in Marignana you turn left onto the D224 and just after the cemetery, you park your car near the stopover gîte.
We walk around: we follow the orange markings of the Mare e Monti/Mare e Mare Nord, on the right of the road upstream.
Generally located in the shade, it is a particularly pleasant path on hot summer days thanks to the shade provided by the many chestnut trees along the route.
After about 30 minutes we reach the abandoned village of Tassu. Beware of a few branches that might get in the way.
The return journey will be along the same path.
