Ponte Vecchio bridge near Bobbio, Italy

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The other Ponte Vecchio. Bobbio, Italy

Between the metropolis of Italy’s fashion capital Milan and the coastal city of Genoa, you’ll find this small river town in northern Italy. People have lived here for thousands of years, but the town really began to flourish when the abbey was constructed in the 7th century. For much of the Middle Ages, the Bobbio Abbey and its vast library made the town a centre of religion, culture and learning.

These days, Bobbio is a regular tourist spot perhaps best known for its old bridge, or Ponte Vecchio (not to be confused with THE Ponte Vecchio in Florence). Bobbio’s old bridge spans the river Trebbio with 11 arches of unequal size and is often called Ponte Gobbo (Hunchback Bridge), because of its irregular shape.

With its many small churches, modest houses and cobblestone streets, Bobbio still has the character of a medieval village, nestled in the Trebbia valley.