Heritage
Presentation
Patrimonio, a village where the vines tell the story
Patrimonio is the birthplace of the eponymous AOP wine, with its unique terroir and forty or so estates, many of which are organic. The iconic San Martinu church, flanked by its slender bell tower, stands in the centre of the village on a promontory that makes it visible from the surrounding area. It gives its name to the patron saint's festival, a highlight of the year combining sharing, religious tradition and the celebration of wine. The landscape dotted with «pagliaghji», «casette» and other dry stone walls bears witness to a strong rural tradition and a dynamic wine industry that continues to enliven the area.
A bit of history
Patrimonio, witness to a thousand years of history
The origins: traces of the first inhabitants
The Patrimonio region has been inhabited since prehistoric times, as evidenced by the discovery made in 1965 by Antoine and Charles Gilormini. While working their vineyard with a plough in a place called Nativu, they unearthed the famous menhir statue that visitors to Patrimonio can now admire in the Delaire garden, opposite the church.
The Nativu menhir statue, dating from the Bronze Age (between 4000 and 2000 BC), measures 2.30 metres in height and was carved from a block of limestone. Burials were also unearthed at Catarelli following a chance discovery, and excavations were subsequently undertaken by the University of Corsica.
The birth of a wine-growing region
Antiquity
The history of Patrimonio has long been linked to wine-growing. As early as ancient times, the Phoceans introduced wine-growing to Corsica. In Patrimonio, it found particularly favourable soil and climate conditions. This industry flourished under the Roman Empire, before declining somewhat with its fall.
The medieval period and local lordships
The ruins of Tozza Castle, located on the heights above the village, bear witness to medieval times, when the lords of Loreto di Nebbio, the Bagnaia and Cortinchi families, ruled the area.
Later, during the Genoese period, the castle appears to have been destroyed during the anti-seigniorial revolt of 1357–1358. The Republic of Genoa, unable at the time to manage its internal conflicts, took little interest in Corsica; during this period, the population had to endure unrest and anarchy.
The revolts and the affirmation of Corsican identity
In 1729, a Genoese tax deemed too unfair sparked a popular uprising that led to the island's independence.
A Corsican government was established and, in April 1736, Theodore of Neuhoff was elected King of the Corsicans. He reigned for only seven months, until November of the same year.
The Republic of Genoa then requested assistance from Louis XV in 1738. France first intervened in Corsica in 1741, but a new revolt by the Corsicans prompted France to intervene again in 1748 to support the Genoese.
Pasquale Paoli and the resistance of Patrimonio
In July 1755, the Corsicans proclaimed Pasquale Paoli general of the Corsican Nation: Corsica became independent. That same year, Pascal Paoli was welcomed in Patrimonio, at the Calvelli house.
Unable to overthrow Paoli's government, Genoa once again sought the assistance of the Kingdom of France and signed the Treaty of Compiègne on 6 August 1764. France then maintained troops for four years in several Corsican fortresses (Ajaccio, Calvi, Bastia, Algajola, Saint-Florent).
Finally, Genoa, ruined, ceded all sovereignty over Corsica to the Kingdom of France on 15 May 1768. The French conquest was led by the Count of Vaux.
The Battle of Patrimonio: a historic turning point
The village of Patrimonio was a strategic location on the road connecting Bastia and Saint-Florent, where the French king's troops were stationed.
On 31 July 1768, General Marbeuf's French troops attacked the Calvelli house, where some sixty Corsican patriots had barricaded themselves. The fighting lasted until nightfall. It was not until the following day, 1 August, that General de Grandmaison finally broke the resistance by firing cannons at the house.
The fall of Patrimonio enabled the east and west to be linked and isolated Cap Corse from the rest of the island.
From the 19th century to the present day: destinies of exile and return
During the 18th and 19th centuries, many Corsicans chose to leave the island to escape poverty. Some returned, such as the Maestracci family, who, upon their return from Puerto Rico, built the house known as «d'Américain» (American), which can still be admired today.
Others led heroic lives far from Patrimonio, but never forgot it. This was the case for Mihiel Gilormini, whose father was from Patrimonio.
Mihiel Gilormini grew up in Puerto Rico, always referring to his island and his village as his second home. A heroic fighter pilot during the Second World War, he distinguished himself through his bravery and courage, earning him one of the most prestigious American military honours: the Silver Star, awarded on 6 July 2025, A street in the hamlet of Ficaja in Patrimonio bears his name, as a way of paying tribute to him and commemorating the close ties between Patrimonio and Puerto Rico.
(Sources: Nativu Association) https://www.nativu.org/ ; ISTRIA Daniel, Powers and Fortifications in Northern Corsica, 11th–14th Centuries; SILVANI Paul, Corsica in the Time of Paoli. Albiana.)
Between bell towers and vineyards: discover Patrimonio
The 11 hamlets
The hamlet of Ficaja
It is the highest hamlet in the village and the most representative of Corsican architecture. It is built not far from a water source (In Funtana Vecchia).
The hamlet of Stazzona
Stazzona means «the forge» or «the dolmen» in Corsican. It is a small hamlet consisting of a few houses, located below Ficaja.
The hamlet of Palazzo
Palace means «palace» in Corsican. It comprises a few old houses as well as new buildings.
The hamlet of Fracciasca
This hamlet was for a long time the stronghold of the Leandri family, now extinct, which produced many elected representatives for the municipality. Their imposing house had a private chapel.
The hamlet of Calvello
The Calvelli family gave its name to the hamlet. It is here that the immense family residence stands proudly, having once welcomed the famous Pascal Paoli. Opposite this building is the Calvelli family chapel, dedicated to the Trinity.
The hamlet of Cardeto
On a small promontory stands the Church of Saint Martin (San Martinu). Below, at the end of a narrow street, is the house of Convention member Arena, an opponent of Napoleon Bonaparte.
The hamlet of Puccinasca
The bishops of Nebbiu had their summer residence there in the 17th century.ᵉ century. The distinctive feature of this hamlet is that it is divided into two groups of houses facing each other. One of them is called Casale.
The hamlet of Santa Maria
This hamlet, where old dwellings stand alongside newer buildings, takes its name from the Romanesque chapel located there. This chapel, dedicated to the Virgin Mary Saint Mary of the Assumption, has recently been restored. It is thought to date from the 10th or 11th century and to be contemporary with the Château de la Tozza.
The sheepfolds of Pigno - 18th and 19th centuries
The main building, constructed of dry stone and rectangular in shape, has two openings at each end. Located near the summit of Pigno (958 m), this remarkable pastoral complex comprises several buildings serving all necessary functions: water source (fountain, pipe), dwellings, sheepfolds, cheese cellars and milking parlours (còmpulu munghjitòghju).
The sheepfolds housed flocks of sheep and a few families during the summer grazing season. Cheese was made there; the cellars used to store it are still visible. The site was occupied until the 1960s by families of livestock farmers from Patrimonio. People suffering from malaria were also sent there to convalesce.
The Chapel of the Holy Trinity - 1730
The building, constructed at the request of a clergyman who was a member of the Calvelli family, has a rectangular layout and is made of cipolin and schist rubble stone covered with ochre plaster. The interior consists of a barrel-vaulted nave with lunettes and a flat-backed choir surmounted by a groin vault. A moulded cornice runs beneath the vaults.
On the altar is a coat of arms depicting a tree bearing fruit, symbolising the Calvelli family. Below it is a mass grave (arcaThe painting above the altar depicts the Holy Trinity surrounded by two saints, including Saint Lawrence.
The Chapel of Saint Mary, known as Santa Maria Assunta – 11th century
The building has a rectangular floor plan without an apse, which is very rare for a sanctuary of this period. The chapel, which is very tall in relation to its floor dimensions, is built in an irregular style: small, long, thin schist stones combined with wider facing slabs.
There is a beautiful marble marquetry tabernacle, a remnant of the church's Baroque décor. A recently restored 17th-century painting attributed to the painter Castiglione depicts the Virgin Mary in Assumption, surrounded by Saint Roch and Saint Martin.
The chapel may be linked to the medieval castle of La Tozza, which overlooks Patrimonio and of which the foundations of a square tower remain. It also had a beautiful Baroque altar, now in poor condition, probably made by the Genoese marble worker Saporito (17th–18th centuries). The tabernacle was saved and is still in the chapel.
This altar probably came from the convent of Farinole; it is of the same design as the one in the Church of Saint Martin in Patrimonio. It should be noted that the Assumption is celebrated here in a particularly solemn manner. Oral tradition refers to a pilgrimage around a miraculous spring in the region; it is said that the chapel welcomed travellers for the night.
The oil and flour mills, known as Mulinu Piolaggio - 1795
The complex consists of two mills located on the banks of the Fium'Albino. These are the last mills encountered when travelling down this river. Only the base of the walls of the first building, a flour mill, remains. The other mill, an oil mill, is in better condition.
On 3 October 1828, a census mentions a flour mill belonging to Jean Arena, located at a place called Pivolajo. Another document from the 1860s mentions two mills at this location. The first was a flour mill operated in 1865 by Mathieu Giovanni. It had a water flow of 70 to 80 litres/second and a drop of 5 to 6 metres. It operated all year round, thanks to a pair of millstones driven by a wheel shaft, with an estimated motive power of 4 or 5 horsepower. The single-storey building covered 25 m² and housed the millstones and tools. It was worth 1,800 francs, plus 1,700 francs for the tools.
The second mill, an oil mill, is the one that can still be seen today. The millstone found inside is particularly thick, which is characteristic of oil millstones.
The Fium'Albino Bridge - 17th century
This bridge spans the Fium'Albino river, on the road leading to the Saint-François de Marianda convent and Cap Corse. It consists of a semicircular arch and is lined with parapets. It overlooks a large body of water. There are numerous mills along this river.
A bridge must have existed in earlier times, as it is located on an ancient road linking Farinole to the Saint-François de Marianda convent, then to Bastia via the San Leonardo pass. The current bridge is therefore probably an extension or reconstruction of the original bridge. The parapets were rebuilt about twenty years ago during a school construction project.
