A couple of years ago, I was lucky enough to visit the pretty village of Pigna near Calvi.
I had very fond memories of this charming village from a holiday near here many years ago and I was wondering if it had changed much.
My friend dropped me off just outside the village and as I strolled through the cobbled alleyways, taking photograph after photograph, I soon realised, to my delight, that nothing much had changed at all. Interesting craft workshops were around every corner with their goods for sale – glass blowing, pottery, musical boxes… and the views were just as lovely as ever.
I stopped for a cup of coffee in A Casarella, a restaurant I recalled from my previous visit, the view from here is particularly stunning and the staff were as friendly as I remembered. This popular restaurant can get very busy, especially in the high season, so I booked a table for lunch before heading off to explore the rest of the village and, of course, take many more photos of the twisting cobbled alleys and picturesque stone houses.
On returning to A Casarella it was indeed busy and I was shown to a separate part of the terrace and for quite a while I had this little garden all to myself. I sipped a cool Pietra (a rather good Corsican beer) and tucked into a smooth, creamy Corsican sheep’s cheese, a tasty, coarse pâté and the most delicious fig jam with fresh bread while gazing down across the hillside to the village Algajola and the glistening sea. I remember clearly thinking how lucky I was to be back here again.
A beautiful swallowtail butterfly fluttered around the flowers by my table but it was long gone before I had the chance to get my camera.
The owner, Barbara, came over so I took the opportunity to find out a little more about this, my favourite restaurant in Corsica. She was happy to explain that her husband had opened the restaurant in 1998 and it was their philosophy to treat their customers and the environment with respect. They only use local produce and where ever possible, organic. The pâté, cured meat and sausages, are from free roaming mountain pigs. And very delicious it is too.
All too soon it is time to go. There were new villages to discover but I do hope the perfect little village of Pigna never changes.
Kathryn Burrington is a travel writer and photographer, who has worked in the travel industry for many years. In her blog, Travel With Kat, she shares her joy of discovering new countries, cultures and cuisines.
