Territory:

A region of hills and mountains, facing the Adriatic Sea, north of the Gargano promontory. It is a continuation of Abruzzo’s landscape, and inn fact Abruzzo and Molise constituted a single administrative district until 1963. Among the southern regions, it is one of the richest in waterways, which cross the land from the Apennine watershed to the Adriatic Sea. Other rivers, affluents of Volturno, flow into the Tyrrhenian Sea, after crossing the region of Campania.

Cities: The capital of Molise is Campobasso. Isernia is the capital of the respective province.

Art:

Molise stands out in the history of the Italian art, thanks to the cycle of ninth-century frescoes of the crypt of San Lorenzo in San Vincenzo al Volturno. This cycle represents, for style and age, a unique event of noteworthy value. The monuments in Romanesque style show traces of the influence of the adjoining Apulia region. The examples of medieval architecture are very interesting. The Baroque style, with Roman and Neapolitan influences, can be seen in the civic palaces.

To be visited:

In Campobasso, visitors can admire the historic center and the majestic battlemented castle of the Longobard period; the Romanesque churches of San Bartolomeo and San Giorgino. The church of Sant Antonino Abate houses the collection of carvings and wooden sculptures of sixteenth-century masters of Molise. About fifteen kilometers from the city, rises the Romanesque Santa Maria della Strada, with the fifteenth-century Gothic sepulchre. In Isernia, the Civic Museum holds Samnitic epigraphs and sculptures; the fourteenth-century Fontana della Fraterna is also very interesting. In Pastena, tourists can admire the monumental Sanctuary of the Addolorata of Castelpetroso, surrounded by a thick forest.

Regional website: www.regione.molise.it/turismo/