Monthly Archives July 2017

For the historian Xavier Poli, and according to Ptolemy, Lavasina was formerly called ‘Blesinum’. And, although it may have been built on an ancient coastal site, the current hamlet of Lavasina dates back to the XIX century – named A Vasina (La Vasina). The Franciscan monastery and the Notre-Dame-des-Grâces church, located on the coast 7k north of Bastia, are from this era – with the exception of the modern cement bell tower. And, until the middle of the last century, a medieval tower of defense stood on the rock of Castellacciu. This village existed already five centuries before our era – and to the north, the districts of Pietriconi and Causardo can be found. 

The Franciscan convent and the sanctuary of Our Lady of Lavasina stand in the centre of Lavasina...

It is not every day that you meet a Corsican who has just returned from spending a short stay in Ireland, and I was naturally very interested in finding out exactly what her thoughts were as regards to my native Emerald Isle.

May I introduce Stephanie. She also runs a page ‘Trésors de Corse’ on Facebook and on Instagram – displaying the natural beauty of the island, with her chosen personal images, from her travels around the island.  
Now, brushing up on English can be a time-consuming process, and the best way is (by far) choosing to spend time in an English speaking country. 

So, why choose Ireland ?  Culture, heritage and identity are more than ever shared between the two islands. 

A definite and constant visible/invisible bond links the two islands, a natural attraction in other word...

These are typical biscuits from the Balagne area, made with olive oil.
They can of course, be accompanied by a dessert of your choice, or simply enjoyed with coffee/tea at your leisure.

Ingredients:                                                                                                   

– 700g flour
– 200ml water
– 250ml olive oil
– 1 packet of baking powder
– 1 cube (25g) fresh yeast or 2 packets of ordinary yeast
– 1 teaspoon salt
– caster sugar

Method:

In a salad bowl, mix the flour and salt – then, incorporate the baking powder and yeast, diluted in a little warm water. Mix and add the rest of the water and oil.
Knead by hand for at least 5m, until the dough is homogeneous and has a firm consistency – without being sticky.
Allow to rise at room temperature for around 2h,...