Nestled at the bottom of the gulf, the hamlet is part of the municipality of Osani. It is only accessible by sea and by a path starting from the Col de la Croix ( Bocca a Croce ), on the D81 road or by taking the Tra mare è monti long-distance hiking trail further south.
During the summer season, sea trip services take travelers from the marinas of Cargèse, Porto and Calvi. In the hamlet, there are stopover lodges and restaurants.
The few houses in the hamlet are mainly aligned on the small peninsula of the same name. This protects the beach of Focaghia from the open sea.
History
In the middle of the 16th century, faced with the raids of the Barbary pirates, the Office of Saint George had the Gulf of Porto fortified. The fort of Girolata was built in 1552. The work was undertaken by the Genoese architect Gieronimo da Levanto and then, following his death, it was Giovan Battista de Franchi who completed it. The construction was completed at the beginning of the 17th century.
The fort is a defensive complex consisting of a polygonal bastioned fortified enclosure, protecting a square tower and its annexes. The tower is made up of two nested constructions, raised on three levels in granite rubble. The main tower called Torre Grande, is flanked by the Torre Mezza. In the enclosure a chapel was built with, below, the powder magazine.
In June 1540, at the end of the Battle of Girolata, the Genoese fleet captured the Turkish pirate Dragut, who regularly raided Corsica and whose squadron was anchored in the Gulf of Girolata, which it had just raided.
The fort, purchased by the State from private individuals, has been listed as a historic monument since 2013. Following a development project by the PNRC, the owner, it was the subject of an archaeological diagnosis by INRAP.
Personalities related to Girolata
Guy Ceccaldi, known as Marathon Man . In the absence of a road or passable track, this former postman from Girolata travelled 7 km on foot every day of the week from the Col de la Croix (269 m above sea level) through the mountainous scrubland to deliver mail to the residents of the hamlet of Girolata. He would reach the pass by moped from the Partinello Post Office, which he reported to. He retired at the end of 2006 and died in 2017.
He had become an emblematic figure of the postal administration in Corsica, a world-famous character as the subject of many films, reports and interviews. The only postman in metropolitan France to walk so far to accomplish his task, it took him only forty-five minutes to complete the route, which was nevertheless signposted "Girolata 1h 30" to the Col de la Croix.
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