Plage de Roccapina

Plage de Roccapina is a sandy cove beside the RN196 between Sartène and Bonifacio in south-west Corsica, overlooked by a granite rock shaped like a lion. It suits swimmers, photographers and walkers who are happy with no facilities. The cape has two main beaches, Erbaju to the north and the Roccapina cove to the south, which most visitors mean.

The pink granite lion above the beach

Above the beach rises a crest of pink granite, shaped by wind, sea spray and rain, whose outline looks like a lion lying down. Its highest point is 144 metres above the sea. Visit Corsica notes that nearby rocks are said to show a human face and an elephant's head, and it tells the local legend of a lord nicknamed the "lion of Roccapina" by Barbary corsairs, who, unable to marry the woman he loved, called for death and was turned to stone. Late-afternoon light brings out the pink of the rock, and the RN196 viewpoint gives the classic view of the bay and the lion.

A listed Genoese tower and a wreck offshore

Next to the lion stands a Genoese watchtower, part of the chain built to guard the Corsican coast against raids. Its construction was planned in a document of 1573, the tower itself dates from the 17th century, and it is listed as a historic monument. Offshore, in the 19th century, the steamship Tasmania ran aground at night on the Rocher des Moines.

Conservatoire land and the Vangone wetland

The Conservatoire du littoral bought the eastern slope of the cape in 1977. The wider site is a classified area of 501 hectares, and a dune and wetland of about 21 hectares near the mouth of the Vangone stream is listed as a natural area of ecological interest. Nothing is built on the sand. Fires and camping are not allowed.