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Lighting fires is forbidden along the GR20, as signs along the way will remind you.

KEY POINTS ON FOOD SUPPLIES

 All the refuges sell meals and food supplies.

 Most bergeries, gîtes and hotels sell supplies.

 Supplies are very limited outside the summer.

 Order cooked meals as soon as you arrive.

 Order a prepared breakfast the night before.

 Supplies of fuel can be difficult to obtain.

Language

The Collectivité Territoriale de Corse has a distinct language and culture of its own, and a greater control over its affairs than any other region of France. The native island language is Corsican, which has its roots in the Tuscan dialect of Italy. However, French is spoken throughout Corsica and this is the language that visitors will use most. Many Corsicans are also fluent in Italian, but it is best to assume that English is not widely understood by the islanders.

Most placenames on maps and signposts, and in this guidebook, are in fact Corsican words, although often there is a variant French form, and there is a lot of variety in spellings in some locations. Corsicans use words like bocca where the French would use col. Corsicans often use the letter ‘u’ as the last vowel. The Corsican guttural compound ‘ghj’ is entirely unknown in French. These traits make it easier to distinguish between the two languages. (The Corsican name for the GR20, incidentally, is ‘Fra li Monti’, meaning ‘Through the Mountains’.)