Strada Vecia Madonetta is one of the best walks in Bonifacio, Corsica. During this enchanting coastal walk, you’ll follow an old Roman (Genoese) road, exploring breathtaking beaches and a spectacular lighthouse along the way.
By reading this guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about doing Strada Vecia Madonetta. Beck and I thoroughly enjoyed doing this walk and highly recommend that you follow in our footsteps if you want to enjoy one of Corsica’s finest coastal walks.
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Strada Vecia Madonetta Overview
Strada Vecia Madonetta is one of the most popular walks in Bonifacio and one of the most popular coastal walks in Corsica. The walk is also known as Sentier de Strada Vecia et Madonetta. This translates in English to Path of the Old Road and Madonetta.
From the charming town of Bonifacio, you’ll follow an old Roman road called Strada Vecia to reach a beautiful beach called Paragan Beach. Thereafter, you’ll follow a different coastal trail in order to access the majestic Madonetta Lighthouse. Along this coastal trail, you’ll also reach gorgeous hidden beaches.
Below, we’ll cover some basic trail specs related to the walk.
Walking Details
- Type: Loop
- Distance: 10.1km
- Time: 3–3.5 hours
- Accumulated elevation gain: 305m
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Trailhead: Bonifacio (Google Maps)
- Parking: Google Maps
Considering the distance, accumulated elevation gain, and rocky trail surface, Strada Vecia Madonetta is a moderately challenging walk.
Essentially, the old Roman Road connects Bonifacio and Paragan Beach. Along this track, near Bonifacio, there is a small side trail to a hidden bay called Calanque de la Catena. Also found along this track is a circuit trail that leads you to Fazio Beach and Madonetta Lighthouse.
It doesn’t really matter which order you choose to complete the walk. The way that Beck and I did the walk is reflected in the trail highlights section below.
Strada Vecia Madonetta Map
Although Strada Vecia Madonetta is well signposted, we still recommend using a map to help you navigate. Beck and I used this AllTrails map.
Strada Vecia Madonetta Trail Highlights
We won’t provide a tedious step-by-step trail description, as using a map will be much better to aid navigation. Instead, we’ll cover the highlights of the Strada Vecia Madonetta trail to hopefully inspire you to do this walk! Anyway, it all starts in Bonifacio!
Strada Vecia Madonetta Trailhead: Bonifacio
The walk starts here in Bonifacio, behind a campground called L’Araguina. If you’re staying in Bonifacio, you can simply walk to the trailhead.
Otherwise, if you’re visiting Bonifacio for the day, we recommend parking here. This car park is the closest parking option to the trailhead. Unfortunately, there isn’t any free parking in Bonifacio. Bear in mind that all car parks in Bonifacio charge an arm and a leg!
As Beck and I were staying just north of Bonifacio in Bancarello, we were able to walk to Strada Vecia from our accommodation. The old Roman Road is a mostly rocky trail that’s lined with low dry-stone walls and surrounded by greenery.
After joining Strada Vecia, we soon took a short detour to Calanque de la Catena.
Calanque de la Catena
Calanque de la Catena is a small and picturesque bay that’s easily accessible from Strada Vecia. The short side trail is slightly overgrown, but it’s easy to follow.
After exploring Calanque de la Catena, we soon rejoined Strada Vecia en route to Paragan Beach.
Plage de Paragan (Paragan Beach)
Undoubtedly, Paragan Beach is one of the most spectacular beaches in Bonifacio. Despite this, given its secluded location, you shouldn’t expect too many people there, especially if you arrive relatively early or late.
Beck and I spent a solid chunk of time walking along and enjoying the beach. We even flew our beloved drone to capture some epic aerial footage. Feel free to check out our Corsica Walks YouTube video (coming soon) for a glimpse of the walk in video format.
From Paragan Beach, we rejoined Strada Vecia and retraced our steps for a short while before turning right to join a trail to Fazzio Beach.
Plage de Fazzio (Fazzio Beach)
Similar to Paragan Beach, Fazzio Beach is another stunning beach in Bonifacio. As you descend the trail towards the beach, you’ll enjoy stunning views from atop a whitestone platform. This was the perfect place for us to have a snack before we made our way to and across the beach.
From the beach, you’ll follow along a coastal trail that takes you to Madonetta Lighthouse.
Madonetta Lighthouse
From the circuit track, you’ll join a short yet steep side trail to Madonetta Lighthouse. Descending the steps and reaching the lighthouse was one of our favourite parts of the walk. We highly recommend walking around the base of the lighthouse.
From the lighthouse, you’ll enjoy excellent views of Bonifacio and of the Mediterranean Sea.
After visiting Madonetta Lighthouse, you’ll retrace your steps back to the circuit trail. Along much of the remainder of the circuit track, you’ll enjoy extensive views of Bonifacio.
Soon enough, you’ll rejoin Strada Vecia, which’ll take you back to Bonifacio.
Other Walks in Bonifacio
Of course, the main natural attraction in Bonifacio is its superb white sandstone cliffs. Most people will do an improvised short walk from Bonifacio to explore the white cliffs.
Beck and I chose to do a walk called Campu Rumanilu, which is also known as the Bonifacio Cliff Walk (guide coming soon). This walk involves meandering along a significant portion of Bonifaco’s spectacular white cliffs.
We also decided to extend the walk to Capo Pertusato, where you can see the Lighthouse of Pertusato and enjoy views of Plage de Saint Antoine (Saint Antoine Beach).
The other walk worth doing in the area is the Capo di Feno Walk (guide coming soon). Located west of Bonifacio, this walk explores the stunning cape, which features a lighthouse.
If you’re staying in Bonifacio, we recommend driving to the trailhead for the Capo di Feno Walk. It’s roughly a 5–10 minute drive depending on where you’re staying in Bonifacio.
Car Hire
If you don’t have your own car, you should hire one using Discover Cars. Personally, we use Discover Cars and highly recommend them for finding your ideal car hire at an affordable price. Booking online is super easy and the free cancellation policy is great.
To find out more about renting a car with Discover Cars, read our Discover Cars review and Discover Cars Insurance review.
Where to Stay in Bonifacio
Bonifacio is one of the most beautiful destinations in Corsica, making it a popular place to visit and stay. By staying in Bonifacio, you can simply walk to the trailhead of Strada Vecia Madonetta. Below, we’ve highlighted the best accommodation options in Bonifacio.
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