Bobbio

Bobbio's story begins in 614, when the Irish monk Columbanus founded an abbey whose scriptorium and library made it one of the great seats of learning in medieval Italy, and partly inspired the monastery in Eco's The Name of the Rose. The medieval town lies on the Trebbia at the foot of Monte Penice, beside the Ponte Gobbo, an old stone bridge of eleven uneven arches.

Highlights

• The Abbey of San Colombano, founded in 614 by the Irish monk Columbanus
• The Ponte Gobbo, or Devil's Bridge, crossing the Trebbia on eleven irregular arches
• Swimming, canoeing and fishing in the clear Trebbia, with small summer beaches
• The shrine on the summit of Monte Penice, and winter skiing at the pass
• The Contrada del Castellaro, an early medieval quarter with a 9th-century portico

Summary based on Wikipedia and Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA), written with AI assistance.