Mare a Mare Centre - Stage 3 (b)

Col de Laparo

The world famous long distance hike GR 20 meets the Mare a Mare Centre exactly at this spot. You will be seeing groups of hikers carrying large backpacks.

Once you're at the Col de Laparo, you should be able to look down towards the destination of this stage, the village of Cozzano. Although it looks very close, it's actually still 2.5 hours, again through a large forest.

When we did this stage in 2003, it was very cloudy and just after we started our descent, it started to rain. Later we even found ourselves in a real downpour, complete with lightning and thunder. We saw lightning strike at a distance less than 300 meters from our path. Bring your rain gear!

The rain brought a small forest creature out of its hiding, a fire salamander (scientific name: Salamandra salamandra longirostris). These animals are about 15 centimeters long, a little bit larger than your hand. We must have seen about 10 of them, right in the middle of the paths. They love water, and there was plenty of that around. Because of the dimmed light and the moisture, they looked a little bit like plastic toys. (The photo shown here was found on the website of the Japanese expert M. Kawamura).

Just before you reach Cozzano, you'll be able to see the village for the first time. It is situated on a little hill.

The gite in Cozzano is located on the eastern site of the village. It has a bar and restaurant next to the road, but the building where you'll sleep is a little bit up the hill. It houses a number of rooms with bunk beds.

When we stayed in the gite in Cozzano in 2003, we paid € 28 per person, for the stay, an evening meal and breakfast. You can buy groceries in the small shop at the gas station in the village, and there is a baker who comes by every morning around 8.30 AM. Check with the owner of the gite, because he might be able to help you with additional requirements.