Passo di Barbacana

Passo di Barbacana - San Bernolfo

The Passo di Barbacana from Italy to France was heavily fortified in the last century by the Vallo Alpino and offers a great all-mountain tour thanks to the infrastructure of that time, which has mutated into a trail paradise.

Description

The tour starts in the village of Bagni di Vinadio. From here, you pedal along a few hairpin bends on asphalt to the picturesque village of San Bernolfo. Now you switch to gravel and have to master a relatively steep climb. From around 2050 meters above sea level, the route continues along an old military road on grassy ground combined with loose gravel. Later on, pedaling finally comes to an end and the bike has to be pushed or carried. Shortly before the Passo di Barbacana there is a military barracks. The last few meters to the pass can then be done on foot. If you take your bike with you, you must be aware that the subsequent descent to the barracks is only possible for absolute professionals, as the path here is heavily eroded and damaged. At the pass, you can already see France and the Cottian Alps on the Italian side.

As mentioned, the upper section of the descent to the barracks is very selective with difficulty levels S4 to S5. From the barracks, the character changes abruptly. After that, you surf down the entire ascent variant at S2 level, S1 in sections. In the middle section, where the hairpin bends begin, the trail changes to S2 and even climbs to S3 level in places. Before San Bernolfo, you return to the gravel road. From San Bernolfo, take the trail cut-offs, which are classified as S2 difficulty. Afterwards, you roll comfortably back along the asphalt road to the starting point.

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