Spelunca Gorges
Paved mule track through the Spelunca Gorges from Ota, historic Genoese bridges, swimming in the clear pools of the Lonca.
Advice from the Vaïta team
An abandoned village, ten minutes' walk away
The village of Sainte-Lucie is an abandoned hamlet in the commune of Ota, just above the road linking Porto to Ota. A very short and very easy path leads up to it: under 400 metres one way, some forty metres of climbing, and all of it in the shade — no small thing in high summer.
At the top, not much is left: two houses, a fig tree to sit under in the shade, and a chapel that was supposed to be restored — the work never happened. What is remarkable is the view.
From Sainte-Lucie, another path carries on down to Ota, at the Fragnu. It runs fairly close to the one climbing up to the Castellu. If you want to extend the walk, ask us at reception and we will show you where it starts.
Two precautions
There are brambles along the path: cover your legs. And above all, the buildings are in ruins — look at them from the outside, do not go in.
About the photo: the header image is a general view of the Gulf of Porto, not the village of Sainte-Lucie — we do not have a photo of the path or the hamlet yet. If you bring one back, we would be glad to have it at reception.
From our GPS track
The route on the map
The track below is our own GPS recording, in the road → village direction. The marker shows the start, on the road between Porto and Ota.
Before you go
Practical information
Duration
45 min to 1h there and back, taking your time up there.
Distance
0.4 km one way, so 0.7 km there and back.
Ascent
~45 m cumulative, there and back.
Altitude
268 m at the highest point.
Difficulty
Easy — short, simple and shaded.
Your base for exploring the Gulf of Porto
Hôtel Le Vaïta is on the Porto marina, ten minutes by car from the start of the Sainte-Lucie path. Our reception team can advise on the hikes that suit your group. Book direct for our best guaranteed rate.