Punta di a Vacca Morta, Granite summit in Ospedale, France

Punta di a Vacca Morta is a granite summit in Ospedale that rises to 1,314 meters (4,311 feet) and overlooks Lake Ospedale and the Porto-Vecchio Gulf. The peak consists of solid stone and stands out as a clear landmark in the southern Corsican landscape.

A few hundred metres from the summit, slightly lower on the north-west ridge, lie the ruins of the Casteddu di l'Accintu, an enclosure of the castle of Tasciana. Its surface exceeds 2,000 m² and it dates from the Bronze Age. A mention of the enclosure in a late 16th-century act, transcribed in 1827, does not prove a medieval castle stood here.

The name Punta di a Vacca Morta is Corsican for "peak of the dead cow", referring to a cow that died here in the past. The neighbouring chain of lower summits to the west is called the Tasciana massif, the name also given to the castle enclosure whose ruins lie a few hundred metres down the north-west ridge.

The hiking trail begins at the Cartalavonu parking area and follows a marked route covering about 6 kilometers with roughly 300 meters of elevation gain. Bring plenty of water and sturdy shoes since the granite surface can become slippery.

The Ortolo river rises on the slopes of Punta di a Vacca Morta. A few hundred metres below the summit, on the north-west ridge, lie the ruins of the Casteddu di l'Accintu, a Bronze Age enclosure of more than 2,000 square metres whose name comes from the Italian acinto, "enceinte".