Corsica Traditional Houses and Architecture

The traditional Corsican house, referred to as a casa ('the house'), is made of stones, Corsica basically being a mountain in the mediterranean with plenty of Granite and Schist available.

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In the traditional Corsican village houses are built close to one another, this because of the original ancient family links between the inhabitants of a same village. The first time that you visit such a village you will think it is a real mess but actually there is a family logic behind this.

These French properties generally have between 3 and 6 storeys, with the stairs often being outside the house to save space inside it. Windows are of small dimensions as it allows to be protected from the rigours of the Corsican weather.

Corsica is a gorgeous French region, many houses boasting outstanding views.

On the roofs there are wide thin schist tiles called teghje in the local dialect. These can be of grey-blue colour (in the town of Corte), green (Bastia) or silver grey (Castagniccia). In some areas, classic tiles can be seen. The walls are generally whitewashed.

The classic house in the Corsica region of France is austere and massive. The front façade generally has no shutters, no curtains and the decoration is very simple. It’s not rare to see a cellar and an oven attached to the house on the ground floor.

Corsican houses are pretty rare since the locals generally refuse to sell them or even to rent them, Corsica properties generally being the most important sign of the traditional culture in this region of France.