The Restonica is a small river in the department of Haute-Corse, Corsica, France. It is a tributary of the river Tavignano. The river has a steep and rocky course with many pools and waterfalls. The valley contains two lakes, and is a popular tourist destination.

Course

The Restonica is long. It rises to the north of the Punta Muzzella in the canton of Corte. It originates in the

Lac de Melu Lac de Melu is a lake in Corsica, France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the A ...

. The river continues in a northeast direction to join the Tavignano in the town of Corte. The

Lac de l'Oriente Lac de l'Oriente is a lake in Corsica, France. The Lac de l'Oriente (East Lake) is in a basin on the north slope of Monte Rotondo. Its outlet is the Ruisseau de Lomento. This is a tributary of the Ruisseau Timozzo, in turn a tributary of the Res ...

to the north of the Monte Rotondo, drains through the Ruisseau de Lamento or Timozzo, a tributary of the Restonica. The small Lac de Pozzolo to the east of

Monte Rotondo Monte Rotondo ( co, Monte Ritondu) is a mountain in the department of Haute-Corse on the island of Corsica, France. At it is the second highest in Corsica, after Monte Cinto. It is the highest point on the Monte Rotondo massif. Location The p ...

drains through the Ruisseau de Pozzolo, a tributary of the Ruisseau de Rivesecco, another tributary of the Restonica. The D623 road follows the river for most of its course.

Tourism

The valley lies in the

Monte Rotondo massif The Monte Rotondo massif (french: Massif du Monte Rotondo) is a chain of mountains on the southern side of Corsica, France. It takes its name from Monte Rotondo, the highest peak. Location The Monte Rotondo massif is one of the four main blocks ...

and contains Lac de Melu at and Lac de Capitellu at . It is accessible by the narrow and winding D623, which extends up to the Bergeries de Grutelle. In 2009 the municipality of Corte developed a plan to reconcile its protection, development and tourist exploitation. The Restonica Valley is an important source of tourist income for central Corsica and has been a listed site since 1966. Tourists may visit to contemplate the scenery, to swim in its clear waters, or to access the high mountains via the GR20 trails. It can be very busy in the high season. The banks of the river are lined with pines. The course of the river is dotted with waterfalls and deep natural basins carved into the granite that visitors can use to cool off during the heat of summer. A marked trail leads from the Bergeries de Grotelle at the end of the D623 to Lac de Melo, a hike of about an hour. The lake covers about and is no more than deep. It is frozen for half the year. Lake Capitello is higher up and can be reached with another one-hour walk up a much harder trail. It is and covers . It is the deepest lake in Corsica with a maximum depth of and stays frozen for more than eight months each year.

Tributaries

The following streams (''ruisseaux'') are tributaries of the Restonica (ordered by length) and sub-tributaries: * Rivisecco ** Pianella * Bravino ** Formicuccia ** Coloneili * Timozzo * Figarella * Nucario * Castelli ** Prate di Giodda * Pozzi * Sorbello * Rinoso * Frasseta * Valdaniello * Cavacciole * Renelluccio * Grottelle * Camorrette

Gallery

File:La restonica..JPG, Restonica valley File:Restonica.JPG, The hiking trail leading to Lake Melo File:Lac de l'Oriente.jpg,

File:Pozz2.jpg, Lac de Pozzolo

Notes

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Restonica Rivers of Haute-Corse Rivers of France