Col de Vizzavona, Mountain pass in Vivario, Corsica, France

Col de Vizzavona is a mountain pass at 1,161 metres in the centre of Corsica, on the RT 20 between Corte and Ajaccio, linking the Vecchio and Gravona valleys. The north slope is wooded with Laricio pines, while the south side is rocky with maquis and beech. The pass lies between Monte d'Oro, 3 km to the north-northwest, and Monte Renoso, 6 km to the south-southeast.

The pass was long a strategic crossing: in 1488 Giovan Paolo di Leca and Rinuccio Della Rocca defeated a Genoese force of about 300 soldiers under Rollandone there. In 1772 General Noël de Vaux built a fort above the pass to control the north-south route; its ruins stand at 1,163 m and were listed as a Monument historique on 4 August 1992. At the end of the 20th century the RN 193 was rerouted on the northern side, closing the old lime-tree avenue to traffic.

The pass is called foce or foci di Vizzavona in Corsican, and was formerly known as Guizzaona. The GR20 long-distance trail runs through the hamlet of Vizzavona, 2 km below the pass on the north side, not over the pass itself. Just below the col on the north side stands a chapel dedicated to Notre-Dame des Neiges.

The road through the pass has many sharp bends and can become slippery in bad weather, so it is worth driving slowly and carefully. In winter, snow and ice can make crossing difficult, so checking conditions before setting out is a good habit.

Although most visitors arrive by car, the pass can also be reached by train: the narrow-gauge railway between Ajaccio and Bastia stops right at Vizzavona station. The train passes through the mountain via the 19th-century tunnel, offering a very different view of the landscape.