“A Rossa”, a bit of history

A Rossa Story

It all started in 1927, when Saveria Grimaldi (my grandmother) married Don Quilici (my grandfather) in the small village of Conca (southern start/finish of the GR20) and the couple decided to move down to the plain and settle in a house in Favone.

Don worked as a mule peddler (U Dragulinu) and Saveria, after having continued for a while as a shepherdess (a pastòra), quickly offered food and drink to travellers wishing to stop off on their journey between Bastia and Bonifacio.

The little Café was born… It was very quickly known and recognized all along the eastern coast of Corsica and as far as Propriano under the name of “A Rossa”, nickname given to my grandmother for her flamboyant red hair.

With the arrival of the first holidaymakers in 1936, the establishment prospered and life went on peacefully through the summer seasons.

In the 1970s, the family business was taken over and developed by the two sons of “A Rossa”, Paul (my uncle) and Toussaint (my father).

Today, my uncle Paul is no longer with us and my father having decided to take a well deserved retirement, I am the third generation to continue the adventure of this family saga.

I hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you soon, at home, but also on this island which is always in my head and in my heart.

Hermine Quilici
The granddaughter of A Rossa