Rocca Barbena is a high mountain in the

Ligurian Prealps The Ligurian Prealps (in Italian ''Prealpi Liguri'' or ''Alpi Liguri Orientali'', in French ''Préalpes liguriennes'') are a mountain range in northwestern Italy. They belong to the Ligurian Alps and are located between the regions of Italy, regi ...

(part of the

Ligurian Alps The Ligurian Alps are a mountain range in northwestern Italy. A small part is located in France. They form the south-western extremity of the Alps, separated from the Apennine Mountains, Apennines by the Colle di Cadibona. The Col de Tende and the ...

) in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. __NOTOC__

Geography

Rocca Barbena croce di vetta sfondo monte Carmo

The mountain is located on the

main chain of the Alps The main chain of the Alps, also called the Alpine divide is the central line of mountains that forms the drainage divide of the range. Main chains of mountain ranges are traditionally designated in this way, and generally include the highest p ...

and dominates from North

Castelvecchio di Rocca Barbena Castelvecchio di Rocca Barbena () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Savona in the Italian region Liguria, located about southwest of Genoa and about southwest of Savona. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beauti ...

. Its northern cliffs face on Bardineto and Bormida valley. The summit stands on the

water divide A drainage divide, water divide, ridgeline, watershed, water parting or height of land is elevated terrain that separates neighboring drainage basins. On rugged land, the divide lies along topographical ridges, and may be in the form of a single ...

between

Ligurian Sea The Ligurian Sea is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea. It lies between the Italian Riviera ( Liguria) and the island of Corsica. The sea is thought to have been named after the ancient Ligures people. Geography The sea borders Italy as far as ...

and

River Po The Po ( , ) is the longest river in Italy. It flows eastward across northern Italy, starting from the Cottian Alps. The river's length is , or if the Maira, a right bank tributary, is included. The headwaters of the Po are formed by a spring ...

basins. Going NW Colle Scravaion (814 m) divides the Rocca Barbena from the neighbouring Monte Lingo (1103 m) while looking East the water divide goes on with colletto Bianco (935 m), Monte Sebanco (983 m) and

Giogo di Toirano The Giogo di Toirano (801 m) is a mountain pass in the Province of Savona (Italy). It connects Toirano with Bardineto. Toponymy In Italian language, Italian the main meaning of ''giogo'' is ''yoke'', but it also means ''gap'', ''mountai ...

.''Carta turistica ed escursionistica - Provincia di Savona'' in scala 1:50.000; ed. Provincia di Savona Unlikely other rounded and woody mountains in the area Rocca Barbena is rocky and locally precipitous, above all on its North face. Administratively the Rocca Barbena belongs to the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

. On its summit, which offers a very good point of view on

and

Italian Riviera The Italian Riviera or Ligurian Riviera ( ; ) is the narrow coastal strip in Italy which lies between the Ligurian Sea and the mountain chain formed by the Maritime Alps and the Apennines. Longitudinally it extends from the border with F ...

, stands a

cross A cross is a religious symbol consisting of two Intersection (set theory), intersecting Line (geometry), lines, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of t ...

with a metallic box sheltering a

summit register A summit book or summit register is a record of visitors to the summit of a mountain. It is usually enclosed in a weatherproof, animal-proof metal casing. Some books are maintained in an informal manner by an individual or small group, while oth ...

Access to the summit

Rocca Barbena can be reached from Colle Scravaion following a

waymark Trail blazing or way marking is the practice of marking paths in outdoor recreational areas with signs or markings that follow each other at certain, though not necessarily exactly defined, distances and mark the direction of the trail. A blaz ...

ed footpath. The route does not require alpinistic skills even if there are some very steep stretches and in the Italian scale of

hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

difficulty, the route is rated ''E'' (''Escursionisti'', namely suitable for normal hikers). It is also possible accessing the summit via East ridge from the ''Colletto Bianco''. Colletto Bianco and Colle Scravaion are linked by the

Alta Via dei Monti Liguri The ''Alta Via dei Monti Liguri'' (AV, literally "High Route of the Ligurian Mountains") is a long-distance waymarking, waymarked hiking trail in the Italy, Italian region of Liguria. In about and 44 day hikes, it runs through the arc forme ...

, a trekking route which passes at the base of the northern cliffs of the Rocca Barbena.

Nature conservation

The mountain and its surrounding area are part of an ''area protetta provinciale'' (''protected provincial area'') established by the Provincia di Savona mainly in order to preserve environmental produced by

karst Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...

ic erosion as rock pinnacles,

ponor A ponor is a natural opening where surface water enters into underground passages; they may be found in Karst topography, karst landscapes where the geology and the geomorphology is typically dominated by porous limestone rock. Ponors can drain s ...

s and caves. The area also belongs to the SIC ''(

Site of Community Importance A Site of Community Importance (SCI) is defined in the European Commission Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) as a site which, in the biogeographical region or regions to which it belongs, contributes significantly to the maintenance or restoration at ...

)'' called ''Monte Ravinet-Rocca Barbena'' - code ''IT 1324011''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barbena, rocca Barbena Mountains of Liguria Mountains of the Ligurian Alps Province of Savona Natura 2000 in Italy