Bobbio: the Devil's Bridge and the Abbey That Saved European Culture

Where the Val Trebbia becomes legend

Hemingway called it the most beautiful valley in the world. The Val Trebbia, squeezed between the mountains of the Ligurian-Emilian Apennines, is a corridor of green and water that shelters one of the most captivating borghi in northern Italy: Bobbio. Nestled on the left bank of the river, surrounded by hills that blaze red and gold in autumn, this Piacenza borgo is a concentration of history, art and gastronomy that deserves to be as well known as Emilia's most celebrated art cities.

The first image of Bobbio is one that stays with you forever: the Ponte Gobbo, with its eleven uneven arches crossing the Trebbia like the spine of a sleeping dragon. It is one of the most iconic images in Emilia, yet most Italians have never seen it in person. A paradox that, for the curious traveller, translates into a privilege: being able to savour such beauty almost in solitude.

The Ponte Gobbo: eleven arches and a legend

Bobbio's Ponte Vecchio, renamed the Ponte Gobbo for its undulating profile, is a feat of engineering that defies logic. Its eleven arches are all different in shape and size, and the walkway rises and falls like a petrified wave. Legend has it that the devil built it in a single night, on a wager with San Colombano: each arch was raised by a different demon, and none could agree with the others on the form, producing that asymmetric profile which is its unmistakable signature.

The reality is perhaps even more fascinating: the bridge probably dates to Roman times, though the current structure is medieval, and the irregularities are the result of repeated rebuilding after the Trebbia's floods. Crossing it at sunset, with the river glittering beneath the arches and the hills turning pink, is an experience that alone is worth the journey.

The abbey of San Colombano: where Europe was born

If the Ponte Gobbo is the face of Bobbio, the abbey of San Colombano is its soul. Founded in 614 by the Irish monk Colombanus, who had crossed half of Europe to bring the Gospel to the Lombards, the abbey became within a few decades one of the most important cultural centres on the continent. Its scriptorium produced illuminated manuscripts that today are found in the greatest libraries of the world, from Milan to Turin, from the Vatican to Vienna.

The basilica, remodelled over the centuries, preserves twelfth-century floor mosaics that rank among the finest in northern Italy, with fantastic animals and geometric motifs of Eastern influence. The crypt houses the sarcophagus of San Colombano, a site of pilgrimage since the Middle Ages. The abbey museum tells, through artefacts, documents and reconstructions, the extraordinary cultural adventure of the Columban monks, who here copied and preserved classical texts that would otherwise have been lost forever.

The medieval borgo

The historic centre of Bobbio unfolds around the abbey through a network of narrow, arcaded streets that preserve the medieval layout. The cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, with its Romanesque facade, dominates the main square. The Castello Malaspina-Dal Verme, on the hill overlooking the borgo, offers a panoramic view of the valley and hosts cultural events in the summer months.

Strolling through the alleyways of Bobbio is an unhurried pleasure: craft shops, hidden courtyards with stone wells, cats dozing on doorsteps. The contado — the farmland immediately outside the borgo — is dotted with Romanesque parish churches and stone farmhouses where the wines of the Colli Piacentini are produced.

The Bobbio table

The cuisine of Bobbio is that of the Piacenza mountains — substantial and generous. The signature dish is maccheroni alla bobbiese: thin squares of pasta cooked in broth and dressed with a beef stracotto sauce, a dish that requires hours of preparation and is now found only in the most authentic trattorias.

Pisarei e fasò — little bread-and-flour dumplings with a bean sauce — is the other great classic. Tortelli con la coda, filled with ricotta and spinach and with a twisted flap of pasta, are the festive specialty. All washed down with the wines of the Colli Piacentini: Gutturnio red, Ortrugo white, aromatic Malvasia.

- Maccheroni alla bobbiese — thin pasta sheets with braised beef ragù, the iconic dish

- Pisarei e fasò — dumplings with borlotti beans, Piacenza comfort food

- Tortelli con la coda — pasta filled with ricotta and greens

- Gutturnio and Ortrugo — the red and white wines of the Colli Piacentini

How to get there and when to visit

Bobbio is reached by car from Piacenza along the SS45 of the Val Trebbia, about 45 kilometres of scenic road that follows the course of the river. From Genoa the distance is similar, crossing the Barberino pass. There is no rail link: the nearest station is Piacenza, from which SETA buses depart (roughly an hour and a quarter's journey).

The best months are April to June and September to October. In spring the Trebbia is at its highest and the hills are a triumph of green. Autumn brings the foliage and the harvest, with open cellars and tastings. In summer the river becomes swimmable, with pebble beaches where locals swim and sunbathe — a well-kept secret that alone justifies a detour.

From Bobbio, numerous hiking trails lead into the surrounding mountains, including the Way of St Colombanus that retraces the stages of the Irish monk's journey. For cycling enthusiasts, the Val Trebbia cycle path offers a gentle route along the river, ideal for families.