Filitosa: A Megalithic Site In Corsica
When we talk about megalithic sites in France, we immediately think of Brittany and not necessarily Corsica! And yet, the prehistoric site of Filitosa in southern Corsica is home to authentic megaliths dating back to prehistory. We invite you to discover this extraordinary place classified as a historical monument.
Where is the Filitosa site located?
Filitosa is an archaeological site located in the municipality of Sollacaro in Southern Corsica.
It is specifically located in a green meadow in the Taravo Valley, on a hill overlooking the Barcajolo stream.
It is possible to access it by car. To find this archaeological site more easily, enter "Sollacaro" as the city name and "Filitosa" as the street or road name in your GPS.
What is the story of Filitosa?
The archaeological site of Filitosa is a witness to over 8000 years of history as it was occupied by Neolithic people until the Middle Ages.
The remains found on site mainly testify to human occupation during the Bronze Age. At that time, the site was a fortified settlement known as a "castellu".
This megalithic site was discovered in 1946 by the landowner Charles-Antoine Cesari. In 1954, he reported his discovery to the archaeologist Roger Grosjean. This specialist in Corsican prehistory conducted excavations there in 1957 and 1972.
The site was first classified as a historic monument in 1967 and then again in 1980. It is also listed on the list of 100 historical sites of common interest to Mediterranean countries.
In 2022, this site represented Corsica in the TV show "Le Monument préféré des Français" presented by Stéphane Bern.
What remains can be seen in Filitosa?
The prehistoric site of Filitosa houses three Torrean monuments, named after the prehistoric culture that developed in the south of Ajaccio in the second half of the 2nd millennium BC.
The defining feature of this culture is the tower or "torra" that gave it its name. In total, over 50 torre have been found in southern Corsica (including three at Filitosa).
But the most spectacular remains of this site are the 13 human-shaped statue-menhir, which were unearthed during the excavation of the central torra.
The fragments of monoliths and statue-menhir that can be seen on-site today likely come from one or several nearby alignments. It is assumed that these alignments were destroyed in order to reuse the stones during the early Iron Age or, later, when monks settled on the site in the Middle Ages.
The arrangement of the statue-menhir as seen today does not correspond to their original location but rather to a simple tourist arrangement.
Why visit the Filitosa site?
Even if it is less famous and smaller than the site of Carnac in Brittany, the megalithic site of Filitosa is worth a visit for the beauty and originality of its carved menhir statues.
On these statues with massive and sometimes geometric silhouettes, faces have been represented with eyes, a nose, a mouth, and a prominent chin. It is therefore particularly moving to come face to face with these characters that are several millennia old and whose features are still recognizable.
Not only will you perfectly distinguish their silhouette, engraved in stone from the front and back, but you will also notice that several of these mysterious granite men are armed with a sword or dagger, sometimes suspended from a belt.
These warriors are only about 2 meters tall on average, when the statue is complete, but they contemplate you from several millennia above.
An archaeological museum dedicated to Corsican megalithism completes the visit and allows you to appreciate the historical importance of the remains you have just admired. The site also houses a thousand-year-old olive tree classified as a remarkable tree, which is said to be over 1200 years old!
To find out the opening hours of the archaeological site and the ticket prices, we invite you to consult the official website (link below).
