Abbazia di San Colombano

History

Founded in 614 by the Irish monk Columbanus on a grant from the Lombard king Agilulf, the abbey of Bobbio was for centuries one of the beacons of European culture: its scriptorium and library had no rival north of the Alps. Around the monastery grew the village with its famous Ponte Gobbo, the "hunchbacked bridge" over the Trebbia. Today the complex houses the basilica with the saint's tomb, the Abbey Museum and the City Museum, and is the heart of the Via degli Abati, the "mountain Francigena" the monks once walked towards Rome.

Visiting

What to see

XV century basilica on ancient remains. Crypt of Saint Colombanus. Legendary medieval scriptorium (700+ manuscripts). XII century Romanesque mosaic floor.

Surroundings

Trebbia Valley. Medieval village of Bobbio with the Humpback Bridge. Wine and Flavors Route. Emilian gastronomy.

Visitor information

Variable hours. Guided tours by reservation. Access during religious services.

Contacts

+39 0523 962815 · bobbio.civitascolumbani.it · iat@comune.bobbio.pc.it

Hospitality and where to sleep

Guesthouse available

Ostello delle Grazie beside the monastery, free-will offering; Ostello Palazzo Tamburelli with 9 en-suite rooms. Book through the Bobbio tourist office.

Beds and prices

Sleeping "in the monastery" is genuinely possible here: the Ostello delle Grazie, next to the old monastery, welcomes guests for a free-will offering in the pilgrim tradition (dormitories with shared bathrooms and kitchen, designed for groups and pilgrims); a stone's throw away is also the Ostello Palazzo Tamburelli, 9 rooms of 3-6 beds with private bathroom, in a frescoed eighteenth-century palazzo. Book via the Civitas Columbani circuit / Bobbio tourist office. The town also has mid-range hotels and B&Bs.

Services

Bobbio is a fully equipped town: fountains, bars, bakeries, a pharmacy, shops and famous trattorias (it is one of the "most beautiful villages in Italy"). The hostels have kitchens and common rooms; it is a historic stage of the Via degli Abati, where you can get your pilgrim credential stamped. Card payments widespread in shops; cash is better for the offering-based hostel. Guided tours of the abbey by reservation (info@cooltour.it, 340 5492188).

Places to stay nearby (within 15 km)

• Ostello delle Grazie (Monastero di San Colombano)hostel
  Bobbio (piazza Santa Fara) · 0.1 km as the crow flies

  Price:

  donation-based (monastic tradition)

  Open:

  year-round, booking required

  Facilities:

  dorms with shared bathrooms, kitchen, common rooms, rooms with 18th-century frescoes; also the Casa del Pellegrino (max 4 beds) by the cathedral

  Source:

  bobbio.civitascolumbani.it/ostello

  Sleep next to the Abbey of San Colombano, the heart of the stage: donation-based hospitality inside the monastery itself.

• Camping Ponte Gobbocampsite
  Via San Martino 4, Bobbio (PC) · 0.5 km as the crow flies

  Price:

  campsite rates, call ahead (0523 936927)

  Open:

  June–September (tent pitches)

  Facilities:

  showers, bar, sports grounds, access to the Trebbia river

  Source:

  campingpontegobbo.com

  On the Trebbia, 2 km from the Abbey of San Colombano, below the Ponte Gobbo.

Getting there by bike

Bobbio is reached by pedalling the SS45 up the Trebbia valley (valley floor, busy on summer weekends) or, for lovers of gravel and climbs, along the Via degli Abati. The abbey is in the centre of the village, all flat: you can ride right up to the churchyard and leave the bike in the square. Basilica and complex free to enter (7am-7pm daily); Abbey Museum with paid entry (full 6 €, reduced 4 €).

Bobbio is a stage written into the history of the Via degli Abati, monks once passed through here on foot toward Rome. The hostel beside the monastery welcomes guests on a free-offering basis, kitchen included. The credential is stamped here, a mark of the road already walked.

The bike can be left in the piazza, the village is flat. Bobbio is a well-equipped town: fountains, bars, a pharmacy, trattorias, shops throughout.

Map and stages