Monte Astu or Monte Asto is a mountain in the department of

Haute-Corse Haute-Corse (; , or ; ) is a department of France, consisting of the northern part of the island of Corsica. The corresponding departmental territorial collectivity merged with that of Corse-du-Sud on 1 January 2018, forming the single ter ...

on the island of

Corsica Corsica ( , , ; ; ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the Regions of France, 18 regions of France. It is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the Metro ...

, France.

Location

The peak is on the border between the communes of

Lama Lama () is a title bestowed to a realized practitioner of the Dharma in Tibetan Buddhism. Not all monks are lamas, while nuns and female practitioners can be recognized and entitled as lamas. The Tibetan word ''la-ma'' means "high mother", ...

and Sorio. It is to the east of the D8 road from

Pietralba Pietralba (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Haute-Corse Departments of France, department of France on the island of Corsica. Geography Climate Pietralba has a mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification ''Csa''). The aver ...

via Lama to Urtaca. It is the highest point of a ridge that includes the Cima di Grimaseta and Petra San Ghiaccu to the south and the Monte a l'Alturaia, Cima a Muzzelli and Monte Ambrica to the north. Another ridge runs eastward through the 1333 Monti di Peru, 1042 A Genucula and 717 Croce d'Aculaghja to San-Gavino-di-Tenda. The Fiume di Gargalagne, a tributary of the

Ostriconi The Ostriconi is a small coastal river in the department of Haute-Corse, Corsica, France. Course The Ostriconi is long. It crosses the communes of Lama, Novella, Palasca, Pietralba Pietralba (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Hau ...

, drains the west of the ridge. Streams from the southeast of the ridge feed the Fiumi Raghiunti, the upper section of the Aliso River.

Physical

Monte Asto has an elevation of and clean prominence of . It is isolated by from its nearest higher neighbour, Cima a i Mori to the south of southwest. Monte Astu is the highest point in the Tenda massif between Saint-Florent and

L'Île-Rousse L'Île-Rousse (; , , or , ; , ; ) is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica. It was founded in 1758 by Pasquale Paoli to create a port that would not be in the hands of the Genoese (such as Calvi). As ...

in Haute-Corse. This is a granitic mole partially detached from its mica schist encasement which still remains on its periphery and on its roof.

Hiking

The route to the summit from Lama is there and back, with a vertical of . It is considered difficult, and takes about six hours. The path winds through Corsican

maquis shrubland 220px, Low maquis in Corsica 220px, High ''macchia'' in Sardinia ( , , ) or ( , ; often in Italian; , ; ; ; ) is a savanna-like shrubland biome in the Mediterranean region, typically consisting of densely growing evergreen shrubs. Maquis ...

along a marked path past the Refuge de Prunincu to the ridge overlooking the Puleghio ravine. ffA small climb across

riprap Riprap (in North American English), also known as rip rap, rip-rap, shot rock, rock armour (in British English) or rubble, is human-placed rock or other material used to protect shoreline structures against scour and water, wave, or ice erosion. ...

is needed to reach the summit, not advised for people with vertigo. From the summit there is a beautiful panorama over northern Corsica, including the

Agriates Desert The Agriates Desert or the Agriates (''désert des Agriates'' in French language, French and ''l'Agriate'' in Corsican language, Corsican) is an area of Corsica split between the micro-regions of and Canton of Biguglia-Nebbio, Nebbio in Haute-Cor ...

, the

Monte Cinto Monte Cinto () is the highest mountain on the island of Corsica, a region of France. Geography The elevation of the mountain is and so is its prominence, making it one of the most prominent peaks in Europe. It is the highest peak of the Mo ...

massif,

Cap Corse Cap Corse (; , ; , ), a geographical area of Corsica, is a long peninsula located at the northern tip of the island. At the base of it is the second largest city in Corsica, Bastia. Cap Corse is also a Communauté de communes comprising 18 comm ...

and the

Tuscan Archipelago The Tuscan Archipelago is a chain of islands between the Ligurian Sea and Tyrrhenian Sea, west of Tuscany, Italy. The islands' proximity to several major cities has made them a favourite tourist location. History and literature have ensured that ...

. The view includes the eastern plain, the Saint-Florent bay to the north and

to the west.

Gallery

File:Lama-panneau rando Monte Astu.jpg, Hiking trail sign File:Urtaca-Monte Astu.jpg, Urtaca, Monte Astu File:Pietralba-Monte Astu.jpg, Pietralba, Monte Astu to the left File:Monte Astu-1.jpg, Summit

Notes

Sources

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Astu, Monte Mountains of Haute-Corse