San Gavino di Tenda
The village of San Gavino di Tenda adorns the nearby mountain ridge of Santo Pietro di Tenda, where it reaps the first rays of the morning sun. Its modest size doesn't suggest that it's the longest commune in Corsica, stretching along the Balagne through the Agriate to the sea, a shape due to the old Genoese administrative divisions.
The parish church of San Gavino dominates the village. Here you can admire a painting of Saint Gavin by 19th-century Corsican painter and sculptor Domenico Desanti, as well as a copy of a painting by Titian entitled "The Emmaus Meal". The church square offers a breathtaking view of the entire micro-region. Two square towers (unfortunately not accessible today) were built by wealthy notables to defend their estates. The best-preserved of the two, the Torra al Monte, has been dated to between 1169 and 1270.
In the center of the village, in the hamlet of Fornacce, you can still see the former 15th-century residence of the Bishops of Nebbiu, a cubic dry-stone building that echoes today's ultra-modern architecture. At the bottom of the village is the Romanesque chapel of the Annunziata, demonstrating the location of the original village. Destroyed by the Ottomans, it was later rebuilt higher up, as we know it today.
The Annunziata is celebrated on Easter Monday with a meal, while the patron saint's feast of San Gavino, on the last Sunday in October, is the occasion for a small procession. San Gavino di Tenda is the starting point for the hike to Monte Astu, reserved for experienced hikers.
Information and contact
San Gavino di Tenda Town Hall
20246 San Gavino di Tenda
Tel: 04 95 37 70 84
Email: sangavinoditenda@orange.fr
