Cavallo and the other islands of the Lavezzi archipelago

Cavallo (Cavaddu in Corsican) is the largest island in the Lavezzi archipelago, at 120 hectares, and the only inhabited one. It has been private since 1967 and is not part of the nature reserve; boat trips sail past without landing. The other islands are Lavezzu, where visitors land, Piana, also open for landing on its marked beaches, and the Ratinu, Sperduti and Purragia islets, closed to protect seabirds.

The islands of the archipelago

Cavallo in brief

Cavallo lies 2.3 km off the coast, east of Cape Sperone and Piantarella. At 120 hectares it is the largest island in the archipelago and the southernmost inhabited place in mainland France.

• A Roman quarry: around the 2nd century, the Romans quarried granite here, as on the neighbouring islet of San Baïnsu. The site has been a listed historic monument since 1992.
• A lone shepherd: after the Romans, the island stayed empty until 1800, when a shepherd settled there with his flock.
• The billionaires’ island: in 1967, businessman Jean Castel bought the island to turn it into a luxury resort. Villas, a harbour, a marina and a small airstrip (closed in 1988) followed from 1970.

Seeing Cavallo

Most Lavezzi boat trips pass Cavallo, notably the “Lavezzi and Cavallo” afternoons from Porto-Vecchio and SPMB circuit no. 3 from Bonifacio. With a hired boat you can sail round it, respecting the anchoring areas: see boat hire.

An archipelago once joined to Corsica

During the last ice age, the sea was about 100 metres lower: Cavallo, Lavezzu and Ratinu formed a dry passage between Corsica and Sardinia. Prehistoric rock shelters have been found on both Cavallo and Lavezzu. The Pyramid islet carries the memorial to the victims of the Sémillante. The islets closed to the public are now seabird refuges: see the reserve rules.