It was in a land of silence only disturbed by the murmuring of streams and trembling olive trees, at the centre of a stunning "Filetta" (fern), on the Cesari family's new property, that the miracle of Filitosa was born. It's there, at the place called Petra Zuccata, that Charles-Antoine Cesari discovered five recumbent, granite "Paladin" figures face-down, smothered in thick scrubland. On a neighbouring butte by the name of "Turrichju", he also noticed strange remains. Charles-Antoine Cesari had, without knowing it, just surprised in its sleep, something that has remained hidden for many thousands of years. But the sixth sense of the countryman that he was (he was a horse breeder), alerted him very quickly to the uniqueness of his find. Obstinate and determined, from this point on it would be his reason for living.

At this time in Corsica, few people were interested in archaeology. Charles-Antoine Cesari, alerted Pierre Lamotte, who was at the time the director of Archives for the départements of Corsica. The latter came straight to Filitosa. He was the first official to grasp the importance of the discovery.

A decisive moment.Roger Grosjean, archaeologist and researcher at the CNRS (The National Centre for Scientific Research), was sent on a mission to the island. He embarked upon a scientific career with the research theme "Prehistoric Corsica", under the double patronage of the Abbé Breuil and Raymond Vaufrey. It was with Roger Grosjean that the real excavation work started up on the Cesari family land. What he found there was a virgin space, strange and full of promise, which for all scientists is the holy grail. Little did he know that he was going to be surveying the mysteries of this land and making the Filitosa stones speak until his death in 1975.

First explorations. It was the start of a great adventure that would take him from one discovery to another. With enthusiasm all around, the excavations started, little by little unearthing the remains of many civilisations. Charles-Antoine Cesari and Roger Grosjean had to guarantee the protection of the site from malicious attack or vandalism. They feared, for example, that the statues would be damaged (certain neighbouring shepherds wanted to break them open, because they imagined them to be full of gold). The statue-menhirs were therefore regrouped (the alignment of the five statues at the foot of the butte facing the thousand-year old olive tree).

Perseverance. The creation of this site was not easy at the beginning. Afterwards, the success of the place sparked off competitiveness throughout the region, but at the start no one believed in these stones. It took almost twenty years to make people believe in Filitosa, and for a long time they battled against the sceptics. The owner had little to hope for at that time, even from the administration. Charles-Antoine Cesari and Roger Grosjean made endless applications for subsidy, in order to be able to continue the excavations. But at State level, as locally, they found little response. Faced with the inertia which was confounding their efforts, Charles-Antoine Cesari decided to invest the last of his family's assets, and made it a point of honour, some years later, to refuse a derisory grant of a million old Francs, offered by André Malraux, then Minister of Culture.

Working in collaboration with Roger Grosjean, Enrico Atzeni ,the Italian archaeologist and professor at Cagliari University, undertook new excavations which notably revealed the wealth of the furnishings. These remains are today displayed in the museum at Filitosa, testifying to the different eras of construction here.

Starting to be recognised. Corsica had not really become part of the mass tourism circuit. The island economy was not yet centred on cultural tourism. However, Charles-Antoine Cesari immediately started work on a resource centre. He believed in the imminent launch of the prehistoric site. Filitosa then made as dazzling an entrance into the cultural landscape of Corsica, as any in folk memory.

The "granite warriors" became a source of inspiration. Filitosa made its first appearances in literature in the Corsican language. "Ci so nati l'antichi, dippoi la Filitosa" sang the group Canta u populu corsu from a poem by Ghjacumu Fusina. Little by little the site also became a required trip for the island's school and college archaeology students. At the cost of immense sacrifice, the popularity of the place continued to increase.

Roger Grosjean died in Bastia at the age of fifty-five, at the pinnacle of his career, with dozens of publications to his name, spread throughout his twenty years of fertile research. In his work, Corses des Origines, [The Origins of Corsica], Joseph Cesari, regional conservator of archaeology in Corsica, doesn't hesitate to pay tribute to the man who brought the island out of "the mists of legend" making it recognised by archaeologists worldwide and the general public. The site has not yielded up all its secrets, but nevertheless it is subject to the particular attention of scientists and ancient history buffs.

Accolade. At the time of Madame Anne-Aymone Giscard d’Estaing's visit to Corsica. The First Lady of France felt it very important to return to Filitosa in the company of VIPs of the time, like the late-lamented Jean-Paul de Rocca-Serra, President of the Corsican Assembly.

Classification of the site as an Historic Monument. On the immediate edges of the site a housing estate (the Torréen village) was built. A restaurant and a craft centre opened their doors in turn. Everything was built with concern to preserve the soul of the place.

Charles-Antoine Cesari died at the age of 73 following a long illness. On his death, his children chose one among their number to promote the image of the site. Jean-Dominique Cesari was the one. Another generation but the same desire, the same energy as his father, entirely dedicated to the success of something more than a family business, a heritage to which the Cesari family is intimately connected.

Event. The thirtieth anniversary of the site is celebrated. On this occasion, an international publicity campaign was launched, thanks to the circulation of a stamp. According to the Director General of the Post Office in Paris, it was one of the best operations of the year. More than a million letters with the image of Filitosa were sent to the four corners of the world. The stamp was more highly-sought-after than the one commemorating the bicentenary of Napoleon's birth.

The communication years. More and more German, Italian and English newspapers are interested in the myth of Filitosa. The site never ceases to be the subject of national and international television and radio broadcasts.

Filitosa is registered on the list of the one hundred historic sites of community interest in the lands of the Mediterranean.

With the rise in tourist numbers, and to protect the site, improvements are made each year. Signposts are installed; the central pathway is paved in granite; boundary stones in many languages mark out the route.

Creation of the official website of the prehistoric site of Filitosa.