: Molise
Regions of Italy
: Molise
An untouched land, rich in tourist routes and and unique landscapes, Molise has about 320.000 inhabitants (the population including Croatian and Albanian minorities as well). As far as the administration is concerned, the region was established in 1963, when it separated from Abruzzo. Mountainous and hilly (Appennino Campano), rich [Read more...]
An untouched land, rich in tourist routes and and unique landscapes, Molise has about 320.000 inhabitants (the population including Croatian and Albanian minorities as well). As far as the administration is concerned, the region was established in 1963, when it separated from Abruzzo. Mountainous and hilly (Appennino Campano), rich in luxuriant Mediterranean scrub and varied savage fauna (wolves, foxes, chamoises, birds of pray), its low and sandy Adriatic coastline covers some 38 kilometres.
A renowned culinary tradition includes delicious oils, home-made bread, handmade pasta (cavatello), and a huge range of desserts like the Cancelle, the Cipollati (baked ravioli with a black cherry jam filling) and the Pigna (a crisp doughnut).
Campobasso, the capital of the region, has a precious historical centre with the imposing Castello Monforte, national monument and magnificent military construction built in 1459, perhaps on the grounds of an old Norman or Lombard plant. At the foot of the castle we find the medieval village, made up of countless alleys and winding stairways. The city, which has an 1800 part as well, has had different names throughout the centuries (e.g. Civitas Castrum and Universitas Hominum), depending on the historical period: a Samnite settlement in the beginning, it later became part of the Roma, Lombard and Norman domain.
Then, the feudal fights and the battles between the Angevin and the Aragonese, gave birth to a resourceful and productive bourgeoisie, who guaranteed thriving financial and commercial operations, which set the grounds for a modern cultural and urban structure. Now the city has very good University, one of the best ones on Central-Southern Italy, and it is at the forefront of several branches of highly specialized medicine and high technology.
