Straddling the municipalities of Albertacce and Manso, Paglia Orba is the second highest peak of the central chain and the Filosorma, behind Punta Minuta at 2,556 metres (8,386 ft).

On its slopes at an altitude of 1,384 metres (4,541 ft) the Ruisseau Orba rises in the communal forest of Albertacce, which is a monoculture of laricio pines.

Unlike the other summits of the Cinto massif, which are formed mainly of volcanic rocks, the Paglia Orba is made up of sandstone and conglomerates[2] (puddingstone) with some boulders exceeding 1 cubic metre (35 cu ft) in size.

These sedimentary rocks accumulated during the Permian-Triassic within a vast zone of volcanic collapse (a lake occupying a caldera), before being raised to altitude then largely destroyed by erosion during the tertiary era.

From the Ciottulu a i Mori refuge, a path leads to the Col des Maures (Moorish Pass) and then up a very steep corridor on the western slope of the Paglia Orba.