Cambia, Haute-Corse

Cambia is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica. It includes the villages of Cambia, Loriani, Corsoli, and San Quilico

Cambia is a commune in the interior of Corsica, located in the pieve of Valerustia, in Castagniccia, at the foot of the western slope of the Monte San Petrone and at the limit of Corsica regional natural park.Cambia is in the upper valley of the Casaluna.

Cambia is surrounded by the municipalities of: San Lorenzo north, Pie-d’orezza east, Carticasi south, Rusio to the southwest, Erone west

The commune is located in eastern Corsica where schists dominate, which geologists usually distinguish from ancient western Corsica, made up mainly of granite rocks. It is located on the edge of the central depression which separates them, a narrow furrow with softened relief made up mainly of secondary and tertiary sedimentary terrains, which cuts the island from the northwest to the southeast, from Ostriconi to Solenzara.

Its highest peak is Testa di Catarello (1,428 m), "straddling" the communes of Pie-d’orezza, Carticasi and Cambia, on the ridge of the shale massif Monte San Petrone. . With Punta Ventosa (1,421 m) the other high peak "straddling" on Pie-d’orezza, San Lorenzo and Cambia, they mark the eastern limits of the commune. Between the two peaks, a cave at Bocca al Prato (1,296 m).

Cambia occupies two steep valleys, those of the Ombriato streams to the north, and Sarbaio to the south, two tributaries (RD) of the river Casaluna. This largely delimits its territory to the west.

There Casaluna cross the town. It receives the waters of the two tributaries on the right bank, the Sarbaio streams and Ombriato. .The Biligato stream has its source under Testa di Catarello. It takes the name of Sarbiao stream downstream, the course of which passes between the village of Cambia and Loriani its hamlet. The Ombriato stream originates at nearly 1,150 m in the town under the name of Mandriolo stream, under the eponymous place. It separates the hamlets of Corsoli and San Quilico.

The climate is mild overall, tempered by the action of the Mediterranean Sea which is not far away and the ridges of the ridge of the San Petrone. It is characterized by significant sunshine and relatively high rainfall in autumn and February-March. Drought hits the area during the summer months.

The town is very wooded. Although found in the Castagniccia (which takes its name from the forest of chestnut trees covering her territory), she is dressed mainly in holm oaks .However, the land and exposure of the municipality make it a particularly favorable terroir for planting varieties of chestnut trees, which are famous throughout Castagniccia for the high fructose content of their fruits.

Cambia is approximately forty kilometers from Corti.

To get there, take the RN 193, then the road D 39 of San Lurenzu two kilometers after Francardu (Omessa) coming from Corti and cross the bridge Golo. . At the bridge level Lanu (Pont'à Lanu) continue there D 39 taking a left. In San Lorenzo, take the D 15, road connecting the Casaluna at Bozio.

The hamlets of Loriani and San Quilico are accessible by paved municipal roads.

There is no passenger transport service in Cambia. The closest train station is that of Francardo. The closest ports and airports are Bastia Port and Bastia Poretta.

At as of 1st January 2024, Cambia is categorized as a rural commune with very dispersed housing, according to the new seven-level municipal density grid defined by INSEE in 2022. .It is located outside the urban unit. Furthermore, the municipality is part of the Bastia attraction area, of which it is a municipality in the crown.This area, which brings together 93 municipalities, is categorized into areas of 50,000 to less than 200,000 inhabitants,.

The land use of the municipality, as it emerges from the database European occupation biophysics floors Corine Land Cover (CLC), is marked by the importance of forests and semi-natural environments (100% in 2018), a proportion identical to that of 1990 (100%). The detailed distribution in 2018 is as follows: forests (78.1%), environments with shrub and/or herbaceous vegetation (21.9%). . . The evolution of the land use of the municipality and its infrastructures can be observed on the different cartographic representations of the territory: the Cassini map (XVIII^e century), the staff card (1820-1866) and maps or aerial photos of the IGN for the current period (1950 to present).

• Pronunciation: ['kãm:bja].
• Nice: Cambinchi.

Village where the town hall is located, and whose name provides the current politonym. This name gradually replaced that of Corsuli, to designate all four communities.

• Pronunciation: the emphasis is on the first syllable with therefore a very open vowel [o] (['ko:ʀsulɪ]).
• Kind: Corsulacci.

This village was once the most important and best-known town. It was a capital (lieutenancy) during the feudal era. Then for a long time, his name (according to the texts: Corsuli, Corsoli, Cursuli, or Cusuli) was still used to designate the area, or even part of the pieve.

The pudestà (podestat elected official) of Corsuli was one of the most important of the Vallerustie pieve. We also measure the notoriety that this village once had, by the use made of its toponym, as a reference known throughout Corsica. So many historical figures from the pieve (whatever the hamlets from which they really originated) are designated by their first name followed by the name of the town (main or best known), that is to say ‘’Corsoli’’.

• Pronunciation: [,sã'ki:ʀɢu].

The village of San Shirgu perches on a ridge overlooking Corsuli. He kept, for his name, the title from the chapel: Capella di San Chirgu. This title corresponds in French to Saint Cyr. The first name (common in the region) is commonly translated into French as "Quilicus". Formerly, in written language, the name of the church was logically translated into Tuscan as "Santo Quilico" [,sãnto'kwi:lɪɢo].

Main article: Loriani.

• Pronunciation: [lo'ʀjã:nɪ].
• Nice: Lorianinchi and Lorianacci.

The village clings to the slopes of the Monte San Petrone.

• Communes of the Haute-Corse department