Spin'a Cavallu, Rizzanèse River

We’d planned to go to the ‘Petit Niagra’ this morning but after the wind of yesterday, it hadn’t occurred to me that the river might have turned into a raging torrent that was too deep/murky to cross! Fortunately, a few minutes downstream and we were at Spin’a Cavallu.

Literally meaning ‘horse’s back’, this superb example of a Genoese bridge which crosses the Rizzanèse river dates back to the 13th century and 15th century. Owned by the commune of Sartène, the bridge has been protected since 1976 and was classified as an historical monument in 1992.

Although there are a collection of little sandy beaches along the banks of the river, we chose a spot a little further up river where we could settle ourselves on the huge rocks and soak up the sun.

Within seconds, the kids were in the water hurtling themselves down the crevices created by the rock formations ‘canyoning’ style before plunging into the pools below and the relative calm of the river as it meandered under the bridge. It did cross my mind to have a go, but given my propensity for freak accidents, I thought it best to stay put...