In times of conflict it controls the Col de Teghime, a 536-metre (1,759 ft) high pass through the Serra mountains leading to Bastia, 10 kilometres (6 mi) to the north-east.

Barbaggio backs onto the western slope of the mountains of the Serra di Pigno, the extension of the dorsal schist of Cap Corse.

The eastern side is delineated by the valley of the Ruisseau de Lucitello stream with the village built on a rocky ridge under the Pigno (958 m).

The plateau is drained by small streams such as the Ruisseau de Lucitello and provides the commune with its chief economic resource: 45 hectares (110 acres) of grapevines.

[3] Barbaggio is located in the drainage basin of the Ruiseau de la Trutta which flows west to Olzu in the Gulf of Saint-Florent.

As for other communes in the Nebbio region and those along the western coast of Cap Corse, Barbaggio enjoys a Mediterranean climate with moderate temperature changes.

There is an orientation table at the village and at the Col de Teghime where the views are superb over the Gulf of Saint-Florent, the mountains of Nebbio, and the sunny limestone slopes covered with vineyards.

At Pigno the view is spectacular: on one side is the Tyrrhenian Sea and the islands of the Tuscan archipelago, and on the other is the Gulf of Saint-Florent, the Agriates, and almost all of Nebbio.

Subsequent layers indicate a continuous occupation until the end of the Bronze Age; i.e., this was an indigenous village commanding the route to the plateau and the pass.

In the Middle Ages Barbaggio, then Barbaio − belonged to the Diocese of Nebbio, (From the Latin Nebulensis meaning "cloudy"), which consisted of a section of north-west Corsica and the south-west coast of Cap Corse.

To commemorate the feat of arms a monument was erected on the side of the D81 road and a gun (possibly of Russian origin) was placed there.

The town of Barbaggio honoured Pierre Boyer de Latour Moulin by giving his name to the village square.

Vines have been grown on terraced hillsides there and in most other villages of the wine-making region of Cap Corse since antiquity, possibly since prehistory.

The wine industry of France in recent times is regulated by a governmental system of certification called the Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC), which specifies where and under what conditions the grapes for its labels can be grown.

Barbaggio is certified to make the following labels: These are high-quality light table wines of minimal aging and short life made from grapes grown by several land-owners of the region.

Barbaggio is also the source stone blocks for the creation or strengthening of breakwaters, used in the port of Bastia and the Marina of Toga, and also for the construction of walls and parapets of all types.

The old quarry next to the D38 on the slopes of Monte Secco produced stone for masonry in irregular sizes but with a naturally smooth face of ochre/brown.