The Val Trebbia Cycle Route, in Hemingway's Footsteps
Between Piacenza and the Ligurian Apennines, the Val Trebbia traces the meanders of the river that tradition claims Hemingway called the most beautiful valley in the world. Off the beaten track of Emilian tourism, it remains a green, silent valley of Apennine villages.
Foto: Vid Pogacnik (CC BY-SA 4.0) — Wikimedia Commons
The story goes that Ernest Hemingway, returning from the front, crossed the Val Trebbia and called it the most beautiful valley in the world. The line, of which no documented trace survives, has become legend, and yet this valley climbing up from Piacenza toward the Apennines and Liguria has curiously stayed off the radar of Emilian tourism, all of it focused on the art cities and the food valley of the plain. Those in search of green water, meanders and stone villages will find here a corner still authentic and little visited.
The river and Bobbio
The star of the show is the Trebbia, a river that winds down carving broad bends and beaches of white pebbles, its waters so clear they invite a summer swim. The ascent begins on the plain near Piacenza and follows the valley floor heading inland. Among the first notable stops is Rivergaro, a village overlooking the river that is the classic day-trip destination for the people of Piacenza. A little further on you reach one of the valley's gems: Bobbio, with its famous Ponte Gobbo, the medieval bridge of irregular arches that straddles the Trebbia, and the abbey of San Colombano, an ancient and immensely powerful monastery that made this village a cultural beacon of the early Middle Ages. Bobbio is a maze of stone alleys well worth exploring on foot, setting the bike aside for a moment.
Heading upstream the valley narrows and grows wilder, with the wooded slopes of the Apennines looming overhead and the meanders turning spectacular, especially when viewed from above at one of the road's many scenic viewpoints. You enter the heart of the Apennines, among small and silent villages, drawing ever closer to the border with Liguria and to the river's sources.
In the saddle
From a cycling standpoint it's best to be honest: this is not a protected, continuous cycle path running the length of the valley, but an itinerary that relies largely on the valley-floor state road and secondary lanes. The surface is therefore mostly asphalt and of good quality, but caution is required because in some stretches the state road is busy, especially on weekends. The route follows the river and so climbs gently and gradually as you ascend toward the Apennines: no brutal ramps on the valley floor, but an elevation gain that accumulates with distance and rewards anyone with a modicum of fitness. Those who want to keep it easy can concentrate on the lower stretch, around Rivergaro and Bobbio, where the river is at its finest.
When to go
The ideal time is late spring or early autumn. In May the slopes are a brilliant green, the river runs full and broom flowers bloom along the banks; in September the air turns crisp, the summer bathers have vanished from the pebble beaches and the woods begin to turn. This way you avoid both the summer sultriness of the valley floor and the comings and goings of the hot months, when the Trebbia becomes the freshwater beach of the people of Piacenza. On weekdays in season the valley is quiet and you can enjoy the river in peace.
A tip
A piece of advice: don't just skirt the water. The Val Trebbia is also about food, and its villages guard a borderland cuisine that blends Emilia and Liguria, from Piacenza's cured meats to the traditional first courses of the Apennines. Stop at a village osteria midway through the day, perhaps in Bobbio, and take the time to visit its bridge and alleys before getting back in the saddle. And if the heat allows, bring what you need for a swim: finding a deserted spit of pebbles along the Trebbia and plunging into the green water is the memory you'll take home.
Practical guides for Todi
Practical info
When is the best time to visit The Val Trebbia Cycle Route?
The recommended time is May and September, when it is less crowded.
Where is The Val Trebbia Cycle Route?
The Val Trebbia Cycle Route is located in Val Trebbia, Piacenza.
