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Together with the Castellacce, once located within the citadel, the Calanche and the Lubiacce formed the three oldest districts of Corte. Suspended in the slope, the houses merge with the rock, on which they have been solidly anchored for centuries. An access ramp rises steeply among the houses and leads to the upper town and the Mascari and Calanche districts. At the foot of the stairs is the place called Pisatoghja. This is where the octroi was once located. It was a compulsory point of passage to enter the city, where goods and merchandise were weighed and on which the city levied an entry fee. U CASONE DI I TRECENTI In the middle of the 19th century, after the army had evicted and destroyed the last houses in the Castellacce district, within the citadel, the occupants were rehoused in a large apartment building located in the Lubiacce district, "u casone di i trecenti patroni" (the building with three hundred owners). THE SARACENS IN CORSICA Corsica, because of its central position in the Mediterranean, has always been exposed to invaders. As early as the 9th century, the Moors, originally from North Africa, began a series of incursions into the island. They systematically pillaged, captured and deported the islanders. There is little material evidence of their attacks. However, the collective memory preserves the traces of stories or legends linked to their presence. Place names also evoke it. Thus, in this context, the legendary epic of Ugo Colonna was born, a Roman count sent by Pope Stephen IV to eradicate the Moorish presence on the island. He landed in Aleria around 816 and forced the Moors to retreat to Corte, then laid siege to the town for several months before taking it and ruining their fortress. According to some authors, the origin of the name of the Calanche district is to be found in the Arab vocabulary and more particularly in the prefix "Cala", designating the Saracen fortress. The same applies to the Mascari district. In the surrounding area, the old people of Corten also attribute the presence of prickly pear trees (a fica moresca) to the Saracen occupation.

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