Riding Into the Clouds: Passo Santa Barbara & Sella dei Generali | Val Trebbia

There's something almost spiritual about riding on the day before Easter. The roads are quiet, the air still carries the last bite of winter, and the mountains feel entirely yours. This is that ride.

Starting from the Val Trebbia - a valley so breathtaking that Ernest Hemingway himself described it as "the most beautiful in the world" - I roll through one of Italy's most underrated landscapes.

The Trebbia river has shaped this land for millennia, carving its way from the Ligurian Apennines all the way to the Po, tracing a route once walked by merchants, pilgrims, and armies. Wikipedia In fact, along these very banks in 218 BC, Hannibal defeated a Roman consular army in one of the great battles of the Second Punic War. Pedalling here, you are riding through deep time.

From the valley floor I reach Perino, a small hamlet where the road splits and the real adventure begins. Instead of staying on the main route, I peel off onto the lesser-known climb toward Passo Santa Barbara via Filippazzi, a rougher, wilder, seldom-ridden variant that winds through dense forest and isolated hamlets.

The approach via this side of the mountain has a genuinely savage quality: higher up, the road passes through the magnificent Foresta di Sant'Agostino, a pine forest that feels more Alpine than Apennine and takes you completely by surprise.

A brief stop at the small chapel at Filippazzi: one of those roadside sanctuaries that dot the Italian countryside, silent reminders of faith woven into the landscape, before pushing on through the Pineta di Coli and up the final ramps to the summit.

Passo Santa Barbara, also known locally as "l'Angelone," sits at 1136 metres and is marked by a statue of the Archangel Michael - winged, sword in hand - standing at the centre of a roundabout where four mountain roads converge.

The road connecting this pass to the Sella dei Generali: the name "Generali" evokes the military history of the area, this high ridge was used as a strategic crossing point between valleys.

From the angel statue, one final push brings me to the Sella dei Generali at 1211 metres. The summit plateau has an almost alpine quality that feels completely out of place in the Apennines: a broad, open saddle offering panoramic views over both the Val Trebbia and the surrounding ridgelines that stretch toward Liguria.

Then comes the reward: a full, uninterrupted descent from Sella dei Generali down to Farini via Mareto on a recently relaid road: smooth, fast, and perfectly surfaced. Pure joy on two wheels.

This entire area sits at the crossroads of Ligurian, Piedmontese, Lombard and Emilian traditions, a cultural and geographical melting pot that gives the Val Trebbia and Val Perino their unique character. If you haven't ridden here, put it on your list.

Route: https://www.strava.com/activities/17974080613

🚴 Follow the journey: 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/when_in_doubt_cycle/ 🔥 Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/86551840 ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PaoloTagliaferri

If you enjoyed this video, a like and subscribe means a lot: it helps other cyclists discover routes like this one. Drop a comment below if you've ridden the Val Trebbia or if you have any questions about the route. See you on the next climb. 🙏

---

0

- Val Trebbia 5 - Salita per Filippazzi 17 - Filippazzi 33 - Passo Santa Barbara 37 - Sella dei Generali 49 - Mareto 1:07 - Farini