The most famous of the stone circles is at Stonehenge in southern England. However, these megalithic complexes, sometimes dating back more than four thousand years, are found in the four corners of France.
Full-bodied access to Renaghju
Prosper Mérimée is one of the first to have spoken about it. In 1839, for two months, he surveyed Corsica and brought back numerous notes. Alongside those that will allow him to bring the vengeful Colomba to life, he cites the alignment of Renaghju. Sixty standing stones, whose erection extends from four thousand five hundred to one thousand years before our era, surrounded by other megalithic sites in a visible ensemble not far from Sartène. Often located near passes or rivers, these alignments are oriented north-south.
Funerary monuments, ritual places, symbols of the elements? Archaeologists still wonder about their real meaning, but the tourist can admire their beauty even without having the answer.
It can only be reached by car. From Sartène (Corse-du-Sud), take the territorial road RT40 towards the south. After 2 km, turn right on the D48 towards Tizzano. After 7.5 km, turn left on the D48A, direction Stantari, Funtanaccia, Renaghju; 4.5 km further, you are there. Information atSartenais tourist office. Phone. : 04-95-77-15-40.
An in-between at the Petit-Saint-Bernard pass
It’s not the best preserved, but it’s the one that offers the best view. At the Petit-Saint-Bernard pass (Savoie), on the border between France and Italy, stands a cromlech, at just over 2,000 meters above sea level. Forty-six lying stones, two to four meters apart, form a circle 80 meters in diameter.
It is possible that there was a dolmen in the middle. All the stones, very black sandstone, are of local origin. A small Gaulish temple, later, found not far away, suggests that the region was a place of worship for a long time.
The site has come a long way. Until 2012, the national road crossed it from side to side, before being diverted to preserve this megalithic complex. A little further on, you can see other remains, two of which date from the Second World War.
By car only. From Italy, we climb from the Aosta Valley from La Thuile by the N26 road from Pré-Saint-Didier. From France, you have to leave Bourg-Saint-Maurice (Savoie) and follow the N90 to the Petit-Saint-Bernard pass.
Er Lannic, between winds and tides
Partially submerged, this cromlech is not directly accessible, but this location makes it unique. In the Neolithic, the sea level was five meters lower. Located on the islet of Er Lannic, in the Gulf of Morbihan, the monument has a double enclosure of raised stones, in the shape of a horseshoe. The one located to the north has sixty-four stones, from 1.20 meters to 4.50 meters high; that of the south, more regular, aligns thirty menhirs 4 meters high.
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