Discovering the Coicia lake
- Travelling time: 1 hour
- Difficulty: Easy
- Why we love it: One of the most hidden and suggestive places in Liguria
- Length: 3 km
- Total Elevation Gain: 127 m
- Way to travel: By foot
- Cost: 0 €
- Our Advice: It's better to make this itenerary from spring to autumn not after big rain.
Special excursion to one of the most hidden and suggestive places in Liguria, the waterfall lake or Coicia lake (pronounced Còeicia).
Between chestnut trees, beeches and badgers the path winds along the steep slope of the Rio Baracca, until it reaches a site that seems to have come out of a fairy tale: a must for those who love walking in the wild.
The Rio Baracca valley is one of the many branches of the upper Orba Valley and stands out for being one of the most secluded and unspoiled.
Discovering the Coicia lake (or "lake of the waterfall")
The jewel of the valley is Coicia lake: a large emerald green pool, dominated by a spectacular waterfall, among the most beautiful of the Ligurian Apennines of its kind. The site, known only recently by the locals, is also used for swimming in the summer.
In any case, maximum respect is recommended, so as not to disturb the delicate natural balance of this wild valley.
The path starts from the road that connects Tiglieto to Acquabianca at the bridge over the Carpescio stream, which is 4 km from Tiglieto and divides the provinces of Genoa and Savona.
In the first part, it coincides with another marked path (trail sign: full yellow triangle) that arrives from Badia di Tiglieto and leads to Monte Dente (another very interesting itinerary).
The path is just 5 minutes walking from the Ecobnb "La Scellana".
After reaching the lake of Chiusa (at the confluence of Rio Baracca and Rio Rosto), after having made two fords, you leave the original path to follow a path that runs through the Baracca valley (the path is not officially marked but there is a blue dot all the way).
The watercourse is characterized by numerous waterfalls, lakes and water features which alone would deserve an accurate full-day visit as a canyoning route.
The advice is to make some detours from the path and go down to the stream, where you will find beautiful crystal clear lakes and small waterfalls.
But the real surprise of this itinerary is Lake Coicia. A sort of postcard formed by green-black rocks with a waterfall that seems to emerge from nowhere and a large stone suspended between two rocks.
A very deep and crystalline lake, in the shape of a heart and a beach where you can enjoy so much wonder.
The duration of the excursion is about an hour to travel the path but the advice is to take a little more time to make some detours and discover the hidden and unspoiled corners of the Rio Baracca.
The return takes place on the same route as the outward journey, observing the valley from another point of view.
An alternative route is the one along the Rio Carpescio in the opposite direction from the Rio Baracca, that is, following the flow towards the valley and not going upstream. In this case it is more difficult to give directions as there are no marked paths: it is a question of following the tracks along the two sides of the stream, making several fords.
The advice is to contact Ecobnb "La Scellana" which can give you more precise information.
Here too you will find clear and transparent waters, with wonderful shades of green (given both by the vegetation and the color of the serpentine rock), waterfalls, water features and ponds (Lago della Pietra, Lago dei Giardini, Lago delle Ragazze, lake Bello), where you can enjoy amazing baths.
The area is equally wild compared to the Baracca valley and even less known, so in addition to trekking along the river, you can stop in one of these isolated lakes and enjoy the beauty of these places in solitude.
Author: Maurizio Parodi
Cover image: photo by Maurizio Parodi
