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 Piemonte ( ...

(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 Apennines by the Colle di Cadibona. The Col de Tende and the Vermenagna valley ...

) in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. __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 ( lij, Castrevëgio) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Savona in the Italian region Liguria, located about southwest of Genoa and about southwest of Savona. Geography Castelvecchio di Rocca Barbe ...

. Its northern cliffs face on

Bardineto Bardineto ( lij, Berdënei) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Savona in the Italian region Liguria, located about southwest of Genoa and about southwest of Savona. Bardineto borders the following municipalities: Boissano, Calizz ...

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 singl ...

between

Ligurian Sea The Ligurian Sea ( it, Mar Ligure; french: Mer Ligurienne; lij, Mâ Ligure) 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 L ...

and

River Po The Po ( , ; la, Padus or ; Ancient Ligurian: or ) is the longest river in Italy. It flows eastward across northern Italy starting from the Cottian Alps. The river's length is either or , if the Maira, a right bank tributary, is included. Th ...

basins. Going NW

Colle Scravaion The Colle Scravaion (814 m) is a mountain pass in the Province of Savona (Italy). It connects Castelvecchio di Rocca Barbena with Bardineto. Geography The pass stands between Monte Lingo (1103 m, West) and Rocca Barbena. Located on the ma ...

(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. Toponimy In Italian the main meaning of ''giogo'' is ''yoke'', but it also means ''gap'', ''mountain pass''; Toir ...

.''Carta turistica ed escursionistica - Provincia di Savona'' in scala 1:50.000; ed.

Provincia di Savona The province of Savona ( it, provincia di Savona; Ligurian: ''provinsa de Sann-a'') is a province in the Liguria region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Savona, which has a population of 61,219 inhabitants. The province has a total population ...

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 corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

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

and

Italian Riviera The Italian Riviera or Ligurian Riviera ( it, Riviera ligure; lij, Rivêa lìgure) 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. Longitudinall ...

, stands a

cross A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...

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, animalproof metal canister. Some books are maintained in an informal manner by an individual or small group, while ot ...

Access to the summit

Rocca Barbena can be reached from

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

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

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

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 waymarked hiking trail in the Italian region of Liguria. In about and 44 day hikes, it runs through the arc formed by Ligurian Alps ...

, 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

mainly in order to preserve environmental produced by

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

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 landscapes where the geology and the geomorphology is typically dominated by porous limestone rock. Ponors can drain stream or lake wate ...

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