Molise Voyage Tips and guide

Contents

Molise (Neapolitan: Mulìse) is a region of Southern Italy, on the Adriatic sea. It is Italy's second smallest region by land area, the second least populous and also the least known one. In spite of this, the region is rich in sights to offer to tourists intent on exploring this unexplored region.

• 41.56666714.6666671 Campobasso – a city with a medieval centre, rich in historical and artistic values, on the slope of a hill dominated by the Monforte Castle
• 41.8114.3788892 Agnone
• 41.48333314.4666673 Bojano
• 41.614.2333334 Isernia
• 41.814.9166675 Larino
• 4214.9833336 Termoli – a resort town known for its beaches and old fortifications that mostly attracts Italian visitors from nearby cities
• 41.48444414.0458337 Venafro

• 41.56666714.351 Castelpetroso
• 41.78333314.6833332 Civitacampomarano
• 41.614.1333333 Fornelli
• 41.514.9166674 Gambatesa
• 41.58333314.5833335 Oratino
• 41.7514.3833336 Pietrabbondante
• 41.414.6166677 Sepino
• 41.76666714.558 Trivento

• Visit Molise website

Since Molise doesn't have airports the best choice is Abruzzo International Airport (PSR ^IATA), in the Adriatic city of Pescara. Another possibility is Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO ^IATA). The regional bus company ATM offers connections with Pescara and Roma Tiburtina railway station, which is linked to Rome Airport.

The main railway is the Adriatic railway, that crosses Molise along its coast. It provides efficient connections from the major cities of Northern Italy like Bologna, Milan and Turin, as well as from Apulia's main towns.

For more info visit the site of Trenitalia^{[dead link]}, the main railway operator of the country.

Two toll motorways can be useful to reach the region:

• — Sun Motorway (Milan-Naples), exit of San Vittore del Lazio to reach Venafro in few minutes
• — Adriatic Motorway (Bologna-Taranto), passes through Termoli and the Molisan coast

For more info you can check the site of Autostrade per l'Italia.

The railways system of the region has a total length of 265 km (164 mi) and counts 28 stations. Besides the Adriatic railway other internal lines are:

• Campobasso-Termoli railway (temporarily closed since 2016)
• Isernia-Campobasso railway
• Rocca d'Evandro-Venafro railway
• Vairano-Isernia railway

For more info visit the site of Trenitalia^{[dead link]}, the main railway operator of the country.

Renting a car is probably the best choice to discover Molise. Strade statali (trunk roads) can be used for reaching internal destinations as well as the surrounding regions:

• — dell'Appennino Abruzzese e Appulo Sannitica, links Antrodoco to Foggia
• — Venafrana, links Teano to Pescolanciano
• — Sannitica, links Benevento to Termoli
• — della Val Fortore, links Benevento to Ripabottoni
• — della Vandra, links Sora to Isernia
• — Fondo Valle del Tappino, links Campobasso to Gambatesa
• — Fondo Valle del Biferno, links Bojano to Guglionesi
• — Fondo Valle Trigno, links Isernia to San Salvo
• — Fondo Valle Sangro, links Cerro al Volturno to Fossacesia

• 41.60277814.2397221 Iserni — The Lower Palaeolithic site of Isernia-La Pineta and numerous traces of its Roman period.
• 41.814.9166672 Larino — The remarkable Roman Amphitheatre and Roman Forum of the important ancient town of Larinum.
• 41.7514.3833333 Pietrabbondante — The Theatre and the Italic temple, parts of the sacred area of the Roman city of Bovianum Vetus.
• 41.58333314.754 San Giovanni in Galdo — The Italic temple dating from the Samnite age.
• 41.64889414.0836115 San Vincenzo al Volturno — A 5th-century Benedictine Abbey rich of frescoes.
• 41.414.6166676 Sepino — Relevant remains of the Samnite village of Saipins and the Roman city of Saepinum.
• 41.76666714.2666677 Vastogirardi — The Italic temple, built by the Samnites during the 2nd century BC.
• 41.48333314.058 Venafro — Important remains of Samnite and Roman ages like the Amphitheatre, a visitable aqueduct, a theatre and the urban walls.

• Angevin Castle in Civitacampomarano
• Castello D'Alessandro in Pescolanciano
• Castello Di Capua in Gambatesa
• Castello Monforte in Campobasso
• Castello Pandone in Cerro al Volturno
• Castle of Roccamandolfi
• Castello Sanfelice in Bagnoli del Trigno
• National Museum of Castello Pandone in Venafro
• Swabian castle in Termoli

• Antiquarium of Saepinum-Altilia
• Archaeological Museum of Isernia-Santa Maria delle Monache
• Archaeological Museum of Venafro
• Civic Museum of Larino
• Civic Museum of Memory and History in Isernia
• International Museum of the Bell in Agnone
• International Museum of the World Wars of Rocchetta al Volturno
• Museo di Comunità della Festa del Grano of Jelsi
• Mysteries' Museum of Campobasso
• National Paleolithic Museum of Isernia-La Pineta
• Samnite Museum of Campobasso
• Winter Line permanent exhibition in Venafro

• National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise
• Collemeluccio Nature reserve
• Guardiaregia-Campochiaro Regional nature reserve ^{[formerly dead link]} (WWF Oasis)
• Oasis Le Mortine (WWF Oasis)
• Oasis of Bosco Casale (Casacalenda) (LIPU Oasis)
• Montedimezzo Nature reserve
• Pesche Nature reserve
• Regional Park of the Olive Tree of Venafro
• Torrente Callora Nature reserve

• 41.83333314.2666679 Capracotta — Important ski resort of Alto Molise.
• 41.71666714.310 Carovilli — Delightful ancient village with typical stone houses.
• 41.8514.23333311 Castel del Giudice — Located at 800 meters of height on the border with Abruzzo and surrounded by beautiful apple orchards. [1]
• 41.87791714.29419512 Pescopennataro — A center of Norman origins surrounded by the dense forests of Alto Molise. [2]
• Pizzone — Situated in the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise, it has preserved its three medieval gates. [3]
• 41.61666714.66666713 Ripalimosani — Relevant religious architectures and the most authentic cuisine of the region. [4]
• 41.714.23333314 Roccasicura — Of Samnite origin, declared reserve of UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB). [5]
• 41.79194414.18138915 San Pietro Avellana — In the uncontaminated nature of Alto Molise, renowned for the production of truffles. [6]
• 41.76666714.26666716 Vastogirardi — Mountain village with relevant monuments and a Regional Nature reserve rich of flora and fauna. [7]

• Pampanella: A dish of pork cooked in the oven and abundantly spiced. The dish originates from the town of San Martino in Pensilis.
• Panonta — Originating from the town of Miranda, Panonta is fresh pork sausage garnished with peppers, grated pecorino cheese, parsley and garlic.
• Pezzata — Originally from Capracotta, Pezzata is a dish made from sheep meat cooked slowly in copper pots and seasoned with aromatic herbs.
• Cazzarielli with beans — Fresh pasta similar to gnocchi seasoned with borlotti beans sautéed together with bacon, chili pepper and chopped celery, onion, carrot and then boiled in abundant tomato sauce.
• U' bredette (Fish Broth) — Born as a poor dish of the Adriatic fishermen, fish brodetto is a typical dish of Termoli that differs from the others for the differentiated cooking of the various species of fish and for the use of pepper. The official recipe was signed by a notary and registered as "Brodetto di Tornola" on the initiative of the Italian Academy of Cuisine, Termoli section.
• Cacio e Uova — balls of cheese and breadcrumbs cooked in a hearty tomato sauce.Torcinelli — lamb intestines stuffed with lamb sweetbreads. Usually eaten cooked over coals, but sometimes eaten with ragù.
• Pizza di ratttatura — a pizza bread created from the flour scraps of the oven re-kneaded, salted and oiled in the right way, it generally goes well with sauces and cold cuts. Typical of Castelmauro.
• Friarielli — fried green peppers.Sfringoni — fried dough in the shape of a sausage.
• Cavatelli — fresh, handmade pasta, usually topped with sauce.Pizza and soup — country vegetables and a pizza made with cornmeal.

• Caragnoli — Typical spiral-shaped sweets prepared for Christmas and Carnival with a dough made from flour and eggs that is fried in olive oil and then covered in honey.
• Milk pan — This dessert owes its birth to Molise and more precisely to a well-known pastry shop in Campobasso.

• Truffle — Widespread in the Matese and Mainarde mountains. The Molise towns best known for truffle harvesting are Carovilli and San Pietro Avellana. The latter is called "the home of the White Truffle" (prepared to season fettuccine)
• Olive oil — "The beauty of Molise" is what the olive is called, known especially in Larino, but not only, which produces a fragrant and tasty oil unique in Italy.

• Stracciata from Molise
• Stracciata — An elongated dairy product made from cow's milk.
• Burrino — A typical southern Italian stretched curd cheese made from cow’s milk, with a butter heart.
• Pecorino di Capracotta — A cheese made from sheep's milk that is aromatic and a little spicy when aged. It has a hard, hazelnut-colored rind and a compact paste with rare tear-producing eyes. The maturation phase can last from 3 months to 2 years.
• Scamorza Molisana — Produced with milk from brown alpine cows raised on free range pastures, it has the characteristic shape of a pear with a severed head. Eaten fresh or after a few days, it is excellent grilled.

• Pietracatella Sausage — Made with pork with plenty of fat, salt, wild fennel, sweet and spicy chilli pepper.
• Soppressata molisana — Made from pork, lightly smoked, it is consumed after seasoning or preserved in fat in glass jars, but also in boxes containing wheat to keep the product fragrant in the summer.

Each town has its own typical products that follow ancient traditions handed down from generation to generation. A piece of advice to those who decide to visit Molise is to explore these places and their typical products, you can rediscover a simple but wonderful cuisine.

• Biferno — One of the most prestigious DOC wines of the region. It counts four varieties: red, red reserve, rosè and white. [8]
• Pentro di Isernia — A DOC wine which counts three varieties: red, rosè and white. [9]
• Tintilia del Molise — A DOC wine characterized by intense flavor and color. It counts three varieties: red, red reserve and rosè. [10]

For a longer list of Molise's wines: [11]

Theft, robberies and violent crimes are extremely rare. The region is generally safe.