Shepherd's Huts of Pian'di Selva in Arghjusta Muricciu
Restoration of the Pian'di Selva sheepfolds on the Arghjusta hills
In response to an urgent need from the shepherds at the Sartène school, who were looking for mountain pastures for their flock of ewes, and in line with the desire of the municipality of Arghjusta Muricciu and its mayor Paul-Joseph Caïtucoli to revitalise the village's agro-pastoral life, the feat of building a sheepfold with its laboratory, living quarters and milking area in an area inaccessible by car, all equipped with electricity and running water, was achieved in just 3 months.
To do this and enable the young shepherds to spend several months on their own in the mountains with their animals, we had to :
- Helicoptering a prefabricated cheese-making laboratory
- Building a wooden home to provide a minimum of comfort.
- The milking area has also been made of wood to enable the ewes' milk to be collected daily.
- As for the water, it is collected from a spring below and pumped up by a solar-powered pump, a technique that comes straight from the Basque country and which inspired the Mayor.
- Electricity is supplied by generators.
- Gas cylinders are used to heat water and milk.
An intrepid but confident initiative, which earned a report from France 3 Corse Via Stella in early July and an article in Corse Matin in mid-June.
Solar lift pump
For around forty minutes, you will cross the Ciambaldu and Ostia streams through a mountain that is sometimes clear and at other times denser with vegetation and ferns. Before reaching the sheepfolds, don't miss the spring catchment with its solar panel, which enables the water pump to pump the water up to a reservoir above the sheepfold. The water is treated and ready to drink, so you are totally self-sufficient and dependent solely on the sun. A drain allows you to refill your bottles.
La Bergerie
Antoine Lanfranchi and his colleague Marie-Blanche Santoni, young shepherds and farm managers, accompanied by Gaëtan and Nell, two BTS students at the Sartène agricultural school, grazed their 120 or so ewes on the site of the old sheepfolds in Pian'di Selva, which are currently being restored.
Cheese making
Every day, milking is carried out mechanically to collect the precious milk, which is then transported to the laboratory where it goes straight into the cheese-making process.
Video
Two possible departures for Arghjusta Muricciu
The walk starts by going up the road above the town hall, and you'll need to bring water, a head covering and good walking shoes.
More information at the Town Hall
For more information, don't hesitate to contact the town hall directly, who will be delighted to tell you all about this path, which he has taken many times before, supplying the shepherds with food as he goes, sometimes spending the night there before coming back down.
The sunset from the sheepfolds
Overlooking the whole valley and the sea, you can admire the sunset from the sheepfolds, which plunges the granite rocks into orange tones of rare beauty.
Rocks that sometimes form small caves with arches that recall the volcanic origins of granite.
