If the word Murtoli sounds a little familiar, that may be thanks to its neighboring bigger sister, Domaine de Murtoli. A sprawling, ultra-exclusive estate located in the rugged Ortolo Valley near Sartène, its 2,500 hectares of maquis, dramatic cliffs, and agricultural land—it’s a fully operational organic farm, producing an abundance of fresh vegetables, cheeses, meat, and olive oil all year round—is scattered with some 19 private villas and bergeries, as well as 10 suites in the central farm complex. In these parts, Murtoli is something of an institution—its founder, Paul Canarelli, is a native Corsican who first began renting out converted shepherds’ huts here in 1993—but it’s also deliberately low-key. A beloved getaway of Paris’s art and fashion crowds for its strictly guarded privacy and earthy interiors, the estate has relied primarily on word of mouth to build its loyal following rather than social media posts or big promotional blitzes. Which is exactly what makes it so peaceful, and so lovely.
Photo: Camille Moirenc
Well, actually, there are a few other factors that make it so lovely. Once again, there’s the decor, which is casually stylish without ever feeling fussy. Each of the 10 rooms and suites at A Mandria takes its name in the Corsican dialect from local produce: Clementina, Melagrana, Nucciola. Mine was the very charming Limone, located on the upper two floors of the central stone farmhouse, with a small balcony to sip coffee on in the morning and gaze across the pool and the sun-drenched hills beyond. (Also visible from the bed after the doors were pushed wide open, as the linen drapes fluttered in the breeze—heaven.) I was particularly enamored by the bathroom, with its his and hers sinks embedded into an antique pine dresser, and a rolltop tub in the center of the terracotta tiled floor; it was also generously stocked with products made by Nucca, a brand launched by Canarelli’s daughters Hélène and Lise in 2018 that takes its scents and botanical ingredients from Corsica’s native flora. (The fragrant lavender and aniseed shower emulsion here is divine.)
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