Oratino is a fortress town in Campobasso Molise Italy

Provinces of Molise

Guide to Property for Sale in Molise

Molise is the youngest Italian region and has a lively property market. Affordable properties make Molise an interesting location for second home buyers. Prices per square metre can start at about 500 euro, which in today’s Italian real estate market is low. On average, prices for property in Molise are roughly 60% lower that more favoured regions such as Tuscany.

Situated in south-central Italy, Molise lies between the Apennines and the Adriatic Sea. Nature, history, art, traditions and good food are the treasures of this still largely-undiscovered region. 

Molise offers a rural setting, faraway from crowded tourist destinations. Molise has lots to offer.  The spectacular coastline, which stretches 35 km along low beaches with crystal clear waters, is interrupted by a promontory bearing the ancient hamlet of Termoli with its fortified walls that drop vertically into the sea. Molise has won recognition for its environmental management policies to preserve the pristine nature of the coastline.

Overview of Molise

Molise Landscape

Molise is the least populated Italian region. This is due mainly to mountainous landscape making it difficult to access and the flow of emigrants abroad, and to other Italian regions. The most populated area is around Campobasso, the regional capital, and along the Adriatic coast, while the mountainous areas are sparsely populated.

The mountainous terrain is crossed by the characteristic tratturi, the historic trails of people and livestock to and from the pastures of Abruzzo and Puglia.

The National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise has magnificent landscapes, while the many nature reserves protect the wildlife of the region.

Olives and wine-growing are of  importance, as are sunflowers.

Art and Culture of Molise

Campobasso

The historic centre, the castle of the Longobard period, the Romanesque churches of San Bartolomeo and San Giorgino are all worth  seeing. The church of Sant Antonino Abate houses the collection of 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.

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. The Baroque style, with Roman and Neapolitan influences, can be seen in the civic buildings.

Festivals  

International Bagpipe Festival in Scapoli

White Truffle Fair in San Pietro Avellana

La Ndocciata, a torch-lit procession in traditional dress that takes place every year in Agnone

Pezzata, the Lamb Festival in Capracotta.

Towns in Molise

Campobasso 

The regional capital. Dominated by the Castello Monforte and with origins in the Samnite civilization.

Isernia

The museum has Samnitic sculptures and a fourteenth-century Fontana della Fraterna.Termoli

Tourist resort and port, with the stately Swabian Castle and the Romanesque Cathedral

Venafro

Worth visiting Pandone Castle and the Romanesque and Gothic Cathedral. The town has pre-Roman origins.

Sports and Leisure in Molise

Apennine mountains and sandy beaches on the coast make Molise a perfect place to relax and play.

Nature lovers can walk or trek in the Apennine landscape of the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise, or in WWF Reserve in Guardaregia-Campochiaro.

Many hilly areas through woods, streams, gorges and falls can be reached by mountain bike, but you can also take the scenic cycle routes along the coast.

The thrill of skiing high in the mountains is guaranteed by the system of slopes at Campitello Matese, the largest ski resort in Molise, as well as that of Capracotta, also renowned for its cross-country ski trails.

From Termoli to Campomarino on the coast there  is every kind of water sport sandy beaches, crystal-clear waters and modern facilities.

Food and Wines of Molise

There are many typical dishes in Molise such as maccheroni alla chitarra to pallotte of egg and cheese, pasta and beans, polenta, lamb and roast turcinelli.

The extra-virgin olive oil and Isernia truffle and durum wheat pasta stand out. Several salame are eaten, including saggicciotti and pampanera, oven-dried bacon with chilli pepper.

Caciocavallo and stracciata cheeses of Agnone and Alto Molise are popular, so is mozzarella and pecorino sheep’s cheese from Matese. Scamorza cheese and burrino, a butter-filled cheese, are produced everywhere in Molise.

A typical desserts is mostarda d’uva (jam made with grapes from the Molise countryside),  cauciuni (pastry filled with chickpeas), ostie farcite (wafers filled with walnuts and almonds) and peccellate (pastry filled with grape syrup or jams)

Local wines, particularly Biferno and Pentro, are excellent.

History of Molise

After the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 AD Molise was invaded by the Goths (535 AD) and then by the Lombards) in 572, and annexed to the Dukedom of Benevento. A very troubled period began with the invasions of the Saracens that in 860 AD destroyed Isernia. In 1095 the most powerful of them, Bojano, came under the rule of the Norman Hugo I of Molhouse, who most probably gave his name to the region; his successor Ugo II was Count of Molise in 1144. In the 16th century Molise was included to the Province of Capitanata (Apulia) and in 1806 became an autonomous Province, included in the Abruzzi region.

In the 19th century there was a general worsening of the economic conditions of the population, and this gave rise, under the newly established Kingdom of Italy (1861), to brigandage and a massive emigration not only abroad but also to more industrial Italian areas. A heavy destruction took place in WW2, until finally the Allied Forces were able to land at Termoli, in September 1943.

Geography of Molise

Surface of 4,438 square kilometers

Coastline extending over 35 Km

Population of over 313,000

Bordered by Le Marche to the north, Lazio and Campania to the west, Puglia to the south

Provinces

Campobasso (regional capital), Isernia

Getting To Molise

Best airports: Pescara, Bari or Rome.

Climate

Springtime temperatures at this time of year are a comfortable 20°C. It's quite likely that the peaks of the Apennines will still be covered in snow forming a wonderfully picturesque background. Temperatures at the coast rise to approx. 24°C during high summer and 20°C inland. Temperatures can rise to over 30°C on some days. You will usually find a welcome fresh breeze in the cooler mountain areas.