Barbet Path

The Barbet Loop runs along the borders of Baldissero d'Alba with the neighbouring villages of Sommariva Perno and Montaldo Roero.

It is a loop that winds partly through the ancient hilltop woodland, known in Roman times as "silva popularis" (from populus, poplar), and also runs through wooded areas at the bottom of the Rocche, giving the opportunity to explore the more humid undergrowth. Part of the trail follows the ancient Roman and medieval road that descended from the plateau to Canale, passing by the ancient village of Baldissero d'Alba, whose Romanesque apse in the parish church of Sant'Antonino still survives nowadays.

Along the loop you can observe the different types of woodland of the Roero area, characterized by the presence of oaks, poplars, chestnut trees, Scots pines, as well as vineyards and hazelnut groves which are typical of the cultivated areas; in spring you can also see asphodels and periwinkles in bloom.

The name of the Path is a reference to the way in which the inhabitants of Baldissero were once called: the Barbet. The dialect term indicates the beard, or better, the goatee: in ancient times in the village there was a Waldensian community whose members had a beard. From that time onwards, the nickname has been passed on to all the inhabitants of the village, also to emphasize the libertarian nature of some events of the recent past.