This narrow pass is one of the most famous and most untamed on the island. It runs through the stony desert which closes off the Niolo basin near Corte. The road, which at points is hewn into the rock face, looks over the gorge. The arid and haunted landscape makes for a grandiose setting: the exposed rock, eroded by the wind and stormy waters, is carved up into needlelike formations. Only a few clumps of vegetation manage to cling to the crevices. Under the sun the pass is strikingly beautiful, whereas under cover of darkness, it becomes more disturbing.