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Origin and history

The island of Cavallo, located in the Lavezzi archipelago off Bonifacio, is home to the remains of a Roman quarry from the late 1st or early 2nd century. The Romans sent prisoners there to extract granite for the construction of temples and public buildings in Rome. This granite, actively marketed, illustrates the Roman control over the maritime routes between Corsica, Sardinia and the Iberian peninsula, rich in mineral resources. Two Roman wrecks discovered near the island confirm this intense port activity.

The remains of the quarry, remarkably preserved until the 19th century, included extraction banks, career habitats and bas-relief carved on the blocks. However, the resumption of extraction in 1872 to build the Lavezzi lighthouse destroyed much of the Roman traces. Only a granite pillar, transported to Bonifacio in 1932, remains as a memorial. Today, the cutting marks remain visible on the adjacent island of San Bainso, classified as historical monuments since 1992.

After the abandonment of the site by the Romans, the island was occupied sporadically, especially by shepherds from 1800. In the 20th century, it became a luxurious resort, nicknamed the "Island of billionaires", while keeping traces of its ancient industrial past. Its isolation and its private status now limit access to the remains, although the site remains an exceptional testimony of Roman extraction techniques.

The geological context of the island, linked to Corsica and Sardinia by an isthmus during Prehistory, made it a strategic point for Mediterranean exchanges. Prehistoric sub-rock shelters attest to an ancient occupation, but it was the Roman exploitation that marked its landscape for a long time, with quasi-industrial methods for the time. The career thus illustrates the economic romanization of southern Corsica and its integration into the Empire's commercial networks.

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