The Mare e Monti trail is made up of 10 stages, leading from one village to another. Starting at Calenzana, just above the Gulf of Calvi, you’ll pass through the hamlet of Tuarella and the villages of Galéria, Girolata, Curzo, Serriera, Ota, Evisa and Marignana, before finishing up at Cargèse, not far from the Gulf of Sagone. The route goes from north to south on the western side of the island and during two of the stages you’ll stop at the coastal locations of the Gulf of Galéria then at the bay of Girolata.

Nature of the terrain and difficulties
These inter-village hikes are accessible to a greater public than the GR20. The Mare e Monti is suitable for less experienced walkers and does not require any particular technical skill. You should however take the same basic safety considerations into account (there can be storms or extreme heat during the summer). Certain stages are quite long and often involve significant changes in altitude (between 500 – 900m altitude gain and up to 1100m altitude decrease), so some walking experience is necessary. An orange line painted on natural features clearly marks the Mare e Monti and Mare a Mare routes, and clear details are provided in the Topo-guide, published by the FFRP (French Walking Federation) and Corsica National Park.

Time period
The Mare e Monti is possible from March to October, with the most popular times being spring for the flowers blossoming and later on in the year for the autumn colours. Both the mountain and coastal sections enjoy a colourful and scented array of flowers, which makes Corsica a real natural garden. If you choose to travel during the summer period, you should make sure you set out early enough on the morning because of the heat later on in the day. Some of the springs can dry up in the summer so it is essential to take enough water for each stage, in particular for the coastal sections.