Maison Philippe de Rocca Serra

The Maison Philippe de Rocca Serra is a listed 19th-century townhouse standing on Cours Bonaparte in Sartène, southern Corsica. Finished in 1885 for Philippe de Rocca Serra, a Corsican-born lawyer who made his fortune advising wealthy families across North Africa and Egypt, the building stands out for its urban, aristocratic design in a town otherwise built almost entirely from grey granite.

Where exactly is the house located?

The residence sits at 191 Cours Bonaparte, roughly a hundred metres from the centre of Sartène, the town's main promenade and traditional gathering point. Sartène belongs to the Corse-du-Sud department, deep in the Alta Rocca region, an area known for its dense granite architecture and rugged inland terrain.

What makes this house different from the rest of Sartène's buildings?

Sartène's old town is famously compact and stone-grey, so a hôtel particulier — a freestanding, ornamented private mansion — is unusual here. The façade follows Second Empire fashion, a style that mirrored the owner's political allegiance to Napoleon III's court. A carved coat of arms belonging to the Rocca Serra family sits on the pediment, and a separate tower was added to the structure specifically so household staff could reach the kitchen without using the main staircase, which was reserved for the family.

Who was Philippe de Rocca Serra?

He left Corsica in 1845 and spent decades abroad working as a lawyer and financial adviser to wealthy families across Africa, eventually reaching Egypt, where local accounts even describe him travelling by elephant while serving the royal court there. Having built a substantial fortune, he returned to his hometown and channelled the money first into this residence, then, in 1895, into founding the nearby Saparale estate, which became one of the island's largest wine-producing properties of its era.

Can visitors go inside?

No. The house remains privately owned and is not open to the public for interior visits. It can only be admired from the street while walking along Cours Bonaparte, Sartène's grand avenue, where a similarly styled property, the Maison Charles de Rocca Serra, built by another branch of the same family, stands nearby.

Does the building have any heritage protection?

Yes. The house is registered as a monument historique, France's national heritage protection status, which covers the building in its entirety, including the façade and the layout tied to its original residential use.

Frequently asked questions

Which town is the Maison Philippe de Rocca Serra in? Sartène, in southern Corsica, on Cours Bonaparte close to the town centre.

Is the interior open to the public? No — it's a private residence, viewable only from outside.

When was it built? Construction was completed in 1885, in the Second Empire architectural style.

How is it connected to the Saparale winery? The same owner, Philippe de Rocca Serra, founded the nearby Domaine Saparale vineyard a decade after completing the house, and it still operates today.