Centuri / Saint-Florent

Offering wonderful sea views, the GT20’s second stage southwards, linking Centuri to San Fiurenzu in 58km, first leads you along the unspoilt eastern side of the Cap Corse Peninsula. Leaving the coast, the way then guides you up to the D80 road, the landscapes still spectacular, crossing picturesque villages such as Pino, Minervio and Albo. Stop at Nonza to admire its black-pebble beach before descending to Patrimoniu, crossing its renowned vineyards. As to San Fiurenzu, it provides plenty of cultural and tourist delights.

The Route

With some 850m of cumulative positive elevation, this stage offers a mix of sustained climbs and technical descents. Leaving the stopover of Cinturi, you head for the southwest of the Cap Corse Peninsula. The main climb begins 1km after the village. Prepare for a series of four climbs, making this something of a roller-coaster ride. Although you don’t have to go higher than 200m in altitude, there are stretches with gradients of 7% to 8%. Having cycled some 23km southwards as far as Marine de Giotani, a tiny port 10km before San Fiurenzu, the cycle route then runs beside the Patrimonio (Patrimoniu) vineyards. The final stretch to reach your stopover is gentle, the descent very gradual. Saint Florent, a lively port and resort, is a perfect place in which to enjoy a well-earned rest.

Don't miss

• Centuri (Cinturi): the little port; the Moulin Mattei (a windmill 3km from Cinturi) at an iconic site on the Cap Corse Peninsula
• Nonza: a village perched above a black-pebble beach, the Tour Paoline providing breathtaking views over the Désert de l’Agriate and the Gulf of San Fiurenzu
• Patrimonio: vineyards and tastings (dégustations) of local wines
• Saint-Florent (San Fiurenzu): for a profusion of cultural and tourist delights