Groups and schools
School activities
An educational programme
In 2021, the Syndicat Mixte du Grand Site established initial contacts with the French Ministry of Education to carry out several one-off activities (drawing competitions, classroom visits) in schools in the Grand Site area. Building on the success of these activities between 2021 and 2023, a full-fledged educational programme design project was envisaged.
Partnership with the French Ministry of Education
A partnership has been established between the Corsican Regional Education Authority and the Conca d'Oru Joint Association, vineyard of Patrimonio – Gulf of Saint-Florent, which led to the signing of an agreement between the two parties on 5 April 2024. The main purpose of this agreement is to develop an educational programme for pupils in cycles 2, 3 and 4 of Nebbiu-Conca d'Oru.
Programme and teaching booklets
An educational programme has been developed in close consultation with the education authority and primary and secondary school teachers. It is based on the official National Education curriculum and is illustrated by all the heritage elements of the Grand Site: landscape, architecture, history, geography, biodiversity, culture, etc.
The three educational booklets corresponding to the three stages of education have the following main objectives:
- Provide teachers and pupils in the Grand Site de France area with a tool for education on the environment, the region, sustainable development and ecological transition.
- Enable pupils to learn more about their own local area, using educational worksheets in which the topics covered in the school curriculum are transposed to the local level.
- Define and implement educational initiatives and programmes related to the issues and objectives of the Grand Site management plan.
- Support and assist educational initiatives developed within the Grand Site area and led by teachers.
Teachers in the Grand Site de France area are therefore encouraged to use these educational booklets to prepare and/or supplement their lessons. Each educational sheet corresponds to one (or more) objective(s) from the Official Bulletin of National Education, which can be found in each booklet's summary.
Find out more about:
For all enquiries regarding this type of event, please email us at the following address: l.beguinot@gsfconcadoru.fr
School trips
As part of its management plan, the joint association of the Grand Site de France Conca d'Oru, Patrimonio vineyard – Gulf of Saint-Florent organises school trips for schools and the Nebbiu-Conca d'Oru secondary school. These school trips are part of an educational programme combining several disciplines and following the school curriculum from cycle 2 to cycle 4.
These educational booklets serve as resources for educational outings on three different themes that characterise the region. Schools are offered an excursion on the theme of the Landscape of the Grand Site de France (at Monte Seccu, above the Teghime Pass), an excursion to the Vineyards (either in Patrimonio or Saint-Florent) and a Maritime excursion combined with a visit to the Grand Site house in Saint-Florent. The visit to the Grand Site centre can also be a stand-alone excursion. During these three excursions, concepts from geography, history and science are explored. The excursions are led by the joint association. For secondary school excursions, a professional is also on hand to present their profession to the pupils.
These school trips are tailored to the academic level of the pupils. There are three levels of school trips: trips for cycle 2 (CP, CE1, CE2), cycle 3 (CM1, CM2, 6e) and cycle 4 (5e, 4e, 3e). The aim of this educational programme is for each pupil to attend the three themed visits during their time in the same cycle.
Landscape output
The landscape outing takes place on the ridge trail overlooking the Grand Site de France in the municipality of Barbaggio. It gives pupils an insight into the landscape with its iconic view of the limestone range, the Patrimonio vineyards and the Gulf of Saint-Florent. The educational walk continues until it reaches Monte Seccu, where the children discover a panoramic area with low vegetation. Explanations related to the educational programme are provided through fun activities covering geography and science. Next, the children discover and explore the restored casemate located at the Col de Teghime. The two parts of the outing are separated by a picnic break at the summit of Monte Seccu.
Topics that can be covered in geography according to age group:
- The concept of Grand Site de France is presented using photographs of other Grands Sites de France.
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Activities are offered to help you learn how to find your way around an area:
- Using a compass to understand the cardinal points and learn how to orient a map, as well as learning how to locate oneself on an IGN map in relation to distinctive features in the real world.
- Determining the type of landscape we are in (rural, urban, coastal, mountainous), by comparing it with the view of Greater Bastia.
- Identification of what can be seen from Monte Seccu: the iconic sites of the Grand Site, as well as elements of the landscape, using illustrated maps: church, sea, vineyard, village, etc. Learning vocabulary related to the landscape. - Anticipating different levels of interpretation of a landscape through plans, observation sketches and a game based on colours. - Students are given time to reflect on topics such as determining the weather on the day of the outing while studying different types of climates, or understanding how to get around the Grand Site de France, with the different modes of transport visible from Monte Seccu (plane, boat, car, bicycle, etc.).
Topics that can be covered in science according to age group:
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Students are given time to reflect and understand their immediate environment: Presentation of the scrubland environment, allowing them to observe the flora and fauna present on site:
- Study of the fauna of the Grand Site de France using a «duck fishing» technique. Children are encouraged to learn about the animals that live in Corsica.
- Creation of a botanical drawing of the flowering plants present on site according to the seasonality of the outing. - An environmental point is suggested to pupils, in particular: the right things to do when out in the countryside to preserve it (trampling, uprooting, littering).
- • Observable natural hazards are also mentioned, particularly the risk of fire, with traces of the fires of 2016, 2024 and 2025.
Topics that can be covered in history according to age group:
- In order to learn how to observe, during the landscape reading exercise, children are asked to identify «old» and «recent» buildings in the landscape to anticipate temporality and the past/present.
- Presentation of the Second World War and the Battle of Teghime Pass, including a tour of the bunker.
Wine tasting
The vineyard tour is also divided into two parts, with a one-hour break for a picnic in front of a restored pagliaghju in the municipality of Saint-Florent. The first part of the tour focuses on the built and agricultural heritage, while the second part is devoted to discovering the vineyard, its history and its biodiversity.
Topics that can be covered in geography according to age group:
- The concept of Grand Site de France is presented using photographs of other Grands Sites de France.
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Activities are offered to help you learn how to find your way around an area:
- Using a compass to understand the cardinal points and learn how to orient a map, as well as learning how to locate oneself on an IGN map in relation to distinctive features in the real world.
- anticipation of the different plans, including observational sketches and playing with colours.
- Determining the type of landscape we are in (rural, urban, coastal, mountainous) using distinctive features such as vineyards.
- Learn vocabulary related to landscapes (mountains, hills, plains, coastlines, etc.) using picture cards.
- Enable students to understand the uniqueness of a wine-growing landscape by presenting different representations of this landscape through the seasons of the vineyards. Presentation of other examples of French wine-growing landscapes: find the differences between them. - Understanding urban pressures on agricultural land in Corsica: Understanding how urbanisation has developed in recent decades and what the potential risks are for the future if protective measures are not put in place, by looking at photographs from different periods: spot the difference game.
Topics that can be covered in science according to age group:
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Students are given time to reflect and understand their immediate environment: Enabling them to observe the flora and fauna present on site:
- Study of the fauna of the Grand Site de France using a «duck fishing» technique, followed by a short presentation of four species of animals living in the vineyards and observation of insects using a magnifying glass.
- creation of a botanical drawing of vine leaves.
- Understanding seasonality by studying vines and the life cycle of plants, using olive trees as an example. - Ecological focus with students: Explanation of climate change and its consequences in the Grand Site de France, particularly with the example of increasingly early grape harvests and how farmers must adapt their work accordingly. Presentation of the risk of water shortages.
- Identification of the characteristics of the soil in the wine-growing plain. Presentation of limestone rocks.
Topics that can be covered in history according to age group:
- Pupils learn about the passage of time through presentations on the agricultural history of the plain, using the various buildings on site: pagliaghji, aghja and dry stone walls. They learn about the evolution of the Patrimonio plain over the centuries (from mixed farming to monoculture), its advantages and disadvantages. They learn to orient themselves on a timeline.
- A stop in front of Nebbiu Cathedral is planned to describe the Romanesque façade, with explanations and observations using a puzzle on the cathedral's façade; pupils also learn vocabulary related to architecture and the Middle Ages.
- Presentation of the history of the Patrimonio vineyard, from the creation of the AOC to its designation as a Grand Site de France.
Sea exit
The seaside outing for Cycle 2 pupils takes place in three stages. First, there is a visit to the Maison du Grand Site. Next, there is a walk to the start of Roya beach, where there is a presentation/awareness session on Posidonia sea grass, followed by a picnic break. The day ends with a two-hour boat trip. The crossing includes several stops for explanations (the citadel of Saint-Florent, blockhouses, the Farinole marina, the Genoese tower of Farinole, etc.).
Topics that can be covered in geography according to age group:
- The concept of Grand Site de France is presented during a visit to the Grand Site de France visitor centre in the form of quizzes or short group presentations.
- Activities are offered to help visitors learn how to orient themselves in the area: identifying what can be seen from the boat, the iconic sites of the Grand Site de France (citadel, blockhouse, lighthouse, Farinole tower).
- Presentation of the development of the town of Saint-Florent thanks to the sea and maritime networks: the creation of a fishing port which gradually transformed into a seaside resort thriving on tourism.
Topics that can be covered in science according to age group:
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Enable observation of the flora and fauna present on site:
- presentation, once on the beach, of marine and coastal animals, as well as Posidonia and its role within ecosystems.
- Brief explanation of what an ecosystem is and how all the components of an environment interact with each other. Example of marine ecosystems. - Focus on environmental issues with pupils: in particular, plastic pollution in the sea and climate change with the warming of the Mediterranean Sea. Encourage children to think about the consequences of a warmer sea.
- Explanations concerning the risks of erosion of limestone cliffs and beaches.
Topics that can be covered in history according to age group:
- Students learn about the evolution of the village of Saint-Florent from ancient times to the present day through the different historical periods. They learn how to place events on a timeline: explanations about the Genoese period in Corsica, with the citadel of Saint-Florent and the Genoese tower of Farinole, as well as the contemporary period with the marina and the evolution of tourism in Corsica. Presentation of the role played by the Gulf of Saint-Florent during the Second World War.
- Presentation of what underwater archaeology is and its heritage value
Drawing Competition
Since 2021, the Syndicat Mixte du Grand Site (Joint Association for the Great Site) has been organising, in collaboration with the French Ministry of Education, a school drawing competition for all schools and the Nebbiu – Conca d'Oru secondary school. A theme related to the region is defined in advance each year and then proposed to pupils in cycles 2, 3 and 4. In order to determine the winners, a jury composed of members of the Syndicat Mixte, the French Ministry of Education, the CAUE and the DREAL is convened. For each cycle, a podium of winners is elected. Finally, to reward the winners, a ceremony is organised during each edition at the Maison du Grand Site de France in Saint Florent, attended by the pupils, their parents, the members of the jury and the headteachers and teachers of all the participating schools.
The aim of this initiative is to enable younger generations to discover or rediscover the natural and cultural landscapes of the Grand Site de France, to raise their awareness of the importance of preserving the environment around them and to immerse them in the historical past of their region.
In 2025, the 3rd edition was organised.e edition of the school drawing competition, during which more than 300 drawings were collected from pupils.
PUBLIC-FACING EVENTS
Encourage, Pass on and Share
The Grand Site de France Conca d'Oru, Patrimonio vineyard – Gulf of Saint-Florent promotes the enhancement of its territory through events aimed at the general public, residents and visitors alike. The management plan for the Grand Site de France adopted for the period 2024-2031 recommends, through objective 4 «organise the transmission and sharing of knowledge about the values and spirit of the Grand Site» the implementation of guided and commented tours and the organisation of events for the general public, in order to showcase the different facets of the region, such as its heritage, fauna, flora and landscapes. These actions also aim to involve local stakeholders in order to unite them around the spirit of the sites and make them ambassadors for the Grand Site.
public entertainment
These events, which are open to visitors, tourists, residents and children, help to raise awareness of the Grand Site de France among as many people as possible, promote it and convey the values of the label. The events offered in the Grand Site de France area are divided into five distinct themes and provide participants with insights to help them better understand the area.
- «Views of the Landscape»: Introductory workshops on reading landscapes, writing or painting landscapes...
- «Regards sur le patrimoine» (A Look at Heritage): Guided and narrated tours in the heart of the villages of the Grand Site and historic monuments, conferences and creative and educational workshops on architecture. Participation in national days organised by the Ministry of Culture and Communication, such as European Heritage Days, National Architecture Days and Archaeology Days.
- «Perspectives on Biodiversity»: Discovery walks exploring terrestrial and marine biodiversity, lectures, and creative and educational workshops on flora and fauna.
- «Craft encounters»: Meet the artisans of the grand site and discover their craft: visit a ceramics workshop, a cutlery workshop, a soap factory, etc.
- «Wine and agriculture encounters»: Meet winegrowers and farmers from the greater area and learn about their work: visit a wine cellar, a brewery, a honey farm, an olive grove, a chestnut grove, and more. These events often include tastings.
Organisation of visits:
For all requests regarding visits or events, please send us an email at the following address: l.beguinot@gsfconcadoru.fr
These events, organised by the joint association, can be held internally, i.e. by the staff of the Grand Site de France within the Maison du Grand Site itself, or on site within the territory. The joint association can also call on partners such as public institutions such as the Cap Corse and Agriate Marine Nature Park, or private institutions such as the Conservatoire des Espaces Naturels de Corse (Corsican Nature Conservation Agency).
Events may also be organised by other stakeholders in the area; Grand Site de France staff may then provide support for these events, as is the case, for example, with the «Strada di a Memoria» event held each year at the Teghime Pass.