The Figarella is a small coastal river in the northwest of the department of

Haute-Corse Haute-Corse (; co, Corsica suprana , or ; en, Upper Corsica) is (as of 2022) an administrative department of France, consisting of the northern part of the island of Corsica. The corresponding departmental territorial collectivity merged wi ...

, Corsica, France.

Course

The Figarella is long. It crosses the communes of

Calenzana Calenzana (; co, Calinzana) is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica. In 1732 it was the site of an uprising by Corsican nationalists against the island's Genoese rulers. It is now best known as the sta ...

, Calvi and

Moncale Moncale ( co, U Mucale) is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica. Population See also *Communes of the Haute-Corse department The following is a list of the 236 Communes of France, communes of the Hau ...

. The river rises as the Ruisseau de Spasimata in the commune of Calenzana to the northeast of the Punta Mazagnu in the

Monte Cinto massif The Monte Cinto massif is one of the main massifs in the island of Corsica, France, taking its name from the highest mountain in Corsica, Monte Cinto. It is the northernmost and highest of the four massifs that form the spine of the island. The ma ...

and flows northwest. The Figarella proper forms when the Spasimata is joined by the Rau de Melaghia from the north. It turns to the north and flows between the villages of Suare and Tarazone, then along the east side of the Calvi – Sainte-Catherine Airport. It is joined by the Ronca river from the left just north of the airport, then by the Campu Longu stream from the right before entering the sea just west of

Camp Raffalli Camp Raffalli is a military camp of the French Army. It is located in the municipalities of Calenzana and Calvi, Haute-Corse. It serves as a garrison and training ground for the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2ème REP) and the Calvi defense bas ...

Human impacts

In the late 19th century the decline in agriculture led to croplands and pasture being replaced by wild undergrowth and woods, which reduced the amount of erosion and run-off. This in turn led to less sediment being carried to the mouth of the river. In the 1970s in-channel gravel mining began in the river, and about of gravel were removed. The gravel pit traps sediment, and has caused braided channels to be replaced by a single channel. Most of the former channels are now vegetated. Downstream, the result has been erosion of the beach, which started in the 19th century and is likely to continue for several decades, destroying a tourist attraction.

Hydrology

The Figarella was measured at Calenzana between 1960 and 1976. At this point it captures a watershed of . The maximum instantaneous flow rate was on 24 September 1974.

Tributaries

The following streams (''ruisseaux'') are tributaries of the Figarella (ordered by length) and sub-tributaries: * Campu Longu ** Novalella * Ronca (river) ** Enferata *** Campu d'Ava *** Vespaiu **** Capu Pianu *** Signoria * Lioli ** Acqua Viva ** Campanella ** Falcunaghia * Melaghia ** Mandriaccia * Onda * Curzulosu ** Sambucu *** Arghioa *** Catarelle ** Vivariu * Frassigna ** Vespaghiu ** Melaghiola * Nocaghia ** Terribule * Pelliciani ** Vignali * Meta di Filu ** Pittinaghia * Purcareccia * Ladroncellu * Valle d'Alloru

Notes

Sources

* * * * {{authority control Rivers of Haute-Corse Rivers of France Coastal basins of the Mediterranean Sea in Corsica