TAFANELLI NOTEBOOKS | VILLAGES OF CORSICA

Centuri, the fishing port at the edge of Cap Corse: lobster, green roofs, and sunsets

At the very end of Cap Corse, where the island plunges into the sea facing the open water, hides one of the most charming ports in Corsica: Centuri. A small fishing port with houses topped by green serpentine roofs, renowned throughout the Mediterranean for its lobster, and blessed with breathtaking sunsets. A complete guide to a Corsican edge of the world.

A small port at the edge of the world

On the west coast of Cap Corse, at the northern tip of the island, Centuri opens onto the sea like a parenthesis out of time. It is a true fishing port, still alive: colorful boats, pointus returning in the early morning, nets drying, the smell of salt and fresh fish.

The port, minuscule and adorable, is surrounded by stone houses and restaurants where you eat with your feet almost in the water. Around it, the commune spreads out in a constellation of hamlets clinging to the mountain—Cannelle, Orche, Camera...—connected by alleys and paths. Here, no bustle or concrete: just the sea, the stone, and the slow rhythm of a village that has lived off fishing for centuries.

Centuri is Corsica at the end of the road, where the land has only to let itself be bordered by the sea. One comes here for a lobster and a sunset, and suddenly understands why some never leave.

The Corsican capital of lobster

If there is one thing that has made Centuri famous far beyond the island, it is its lobster. The port is historically one of the most important in Corsica for fishing this precious crustacean, and its name is associated, in all island gastronomy, with this exceptional dish.

Here, fishermen haul in the traps offshore, and the lobster goes straight from the boat to the plate. Enjoying a Centuri lobster, fresh, simply prepared, in a port restaurant facing the sunset, is one of the great gourmet experiences in Corsica—in line with those treasures of the sea that are also sea urchins and rockfish.

Ange Leccia and A Macciotta, the soul of the lobster

Centuri lobster is not just a matter of gastronomy: it is part of the soul of the place, an experience that has marked generations. Corsican artist Ange Leccia, one of the great names in contemporary art, recounted the moving story of his childhood memories at the Cape:

"It was the early 1970s… In the summer, I would board with Henri and Désiré Sker on their boat to go lobster fishing. I remember the gillnets we would pull up in the early morning, under the rising sun and the sea spray. For a long time, these sensations stuck to my skin and seeped into my islander memory. They were the indelible mark of the power of the elements and a vibrant relationship with nature. I can say that I would never have become an artist if I hadn't lived through this experience. In many works, I have tried to rediscover that astonishment of the flesh I had felt during those moments in the Mediterranean."

— Ange Leccia

These words say everything about Centuri: a place where lobster fishing becomes a matter of memory, emotion, and art. And that soul can be found today at the port, with our friends at the restaurant A Macciotta, "The House of Lobster." An address that carries on the tradition with heart, where you enjoy Centuri lobster as it should be—fresh, generous, facing the sea. A house of enthusiasts, exactly the kind of place we love to highlight.

The green serpentine roofs

One detail makes Centuri unique and immediately recognizable: the color of its roofs. Many of the port's houses are covered with serpentine slates, a green rock typical of Cap Corse, which gives the roofs surprising verdigris reflections.

This local stone, extracted in the region, gives the village a singular color palette—the green of the roofs, the ochre and gray of the walls, the blue of the sea—which has brought joy to painters and photographers. It is one of those details of vernacular architecture that tell of the intelligence of Corsican builders, using what the land offered them, like the Genoese towers or the stone bridges.

The most beautiful sunsets in Corsica

Facing due west, open to the sea with nothing to block the horizon, Centuri offers some of the most beautiful sunsets in all of Corsica. In the evening, the sky catches fire, the sea turns golden, and one can sometimes glimpse, in the distance, the silhouette of the Giraglia Island and its lighthouse, at the extreme tip of the Cape.

It is the magical moment of the village: the terraces fill up, glasses are raised, and everyone falls silent for a moment to watch the sun disappear into the Mediterranean. A free and unforgettable spectacle, which alone justifies the trip to the end of the Cape.

Around Centuri: the tip of the Cape

Centuri is the ideal starting point to explore the extreme tip of Cap Corse, wild and magnificent:

The Mattei Windmill: on the heights of the Serra pass, this restored windmill offers a 360° panorama over both sides of the Cape.
The beaches of Barcaggio and Tollare: at the northern tip, wild beaches where you sometimes cross cows on the sand, facing Giraglia.
The Customs Trail: the sublime coastal path that runs along the sea between the marines and the coves.
The perched villages of Ersa and Rogliano: the hinterland full of history, with its towers and churches.

A region to also discover on the south side with Tamarone beach and, on the east coast, the beautiful marine of Erbalunga.

Practical advice

Where: at the northwest tip of Cap Corse, about 50 km from Bastia by the Cape road.
Access: by car via the winding and spectacular Cape road; allow time, the road is beautiful but slow.
When to come: from May to October to enjoy the port and the restaurants; at the end of the day for the sunset.
What to taste: lobster, of course, but also the catch of the day and rockfish.
To combine: with a full tour of Cap Corse, the Mattei Windmill, and the beaches of the tip.

Centuri and the TAFANELLI spirit

Centuri embodies a Corsica that we adore: that of seafarers, fishermen, living ports, and sunsets on the water. A village that lives to the rhythm of the tides and honest work, turned towards the open sea. The Mare (Sea) of our trinity beats at full strength there.

The wardrobe for those who have a marine soul: