On the hillside above the northern edge of Corte stand the ruins of a medieval Corsican pieve — a type of rural ecclesiastical district church that was the basic unit of church organization in medieval Corsica. Santa Mariona di Talcini is one of the better-preserved examples, its Romanesque walls still intact in places though roofless, set in a landscape of maquis and scattered oak trees.
The site is a short walk from the edge of town, and the ruins themselves are modest. What makes it worth visiting is the combination of the stonework, the setting, and what it says about medieval Corsica's parish organization. Corsican Romanesque churches — usually small, built of carefully fitted granite blocks — are scattered across the interior and are one of the island's less-publicized architectural pleasures. This one is accessible without a difficult hike.