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Origin and history

The ruins of Fort Vizzavona, also known as Fort de Vaux or Fort di a Foce, are located on the Vizzavona pass (1 163 m), a strategic point between the Haute-Corse and the Corse-du-Sud. Built in 1769 on the orders of the Count of Vaux, this fort had the mission of ensuring the security of the island's internal communications, then under Genoese domination before joining France (1769). Originally, the ensemble consisted of a central dungeon surrounded by four bastions, but today only walls and seven steps of a staircase remain.

The fort overlooks the forest of Vizzavona and the eponymous hamlet, a historic crossing point for travellers and soldiers. In the 18th century, this pass was a major axis between Ajaccio and Bastia, controlling trade between the two sides of Corsica. Its gradual abandonment is explained by the evolution of military techniques and the pacification of the island, but its ruins still remind the geopolitical tensions of the time.

Listed as a historical monument in 1992, the site is now accessible from the nearby RN 193 or Vizzavona station. The remains, visible from the road and the train, offer a panorama of the Monte d'Oro (2,389 m) and the Vecchio valley. Their preservation allows us to evoke Corsican military history, between successive occupations and local resistance.

The fort is inseparable from the development of the hamlet of Vizzavona, which in the 19th century became a popular stop for British tourists, attracted by the forest and hikes. The construction of the railway tunnel (1880–89) and the Bastia-Ajaccio line strengthened its role as a crossroads, although the fort itself lost its defensive function in the 19th century.

Today, the ruins of Vizzavona Fort are part of a landscape marked by green tourism and the memory of past conflicts. Their state of conservation limits visits, but their silhouette still dominates the pass, symbol of a time when Corsica was a strategic issue for the Mediterranean powers.

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