SPECIAL MOLISE @ 05 Jan 2010

Italyupdate opens this year with a new feature. Periodically, we shall be concentrating on lesser known areas of Italy that are anxious to encourage international visitors. These features will take the form of a panoramic tour of the region or province involved, where we report on the main art cities, monuments, festivals, gastronomic specialities and general attractions. All the places described have been visited personally by our correspondent.

 

Our first Special concentrates on what is possibly Italy’s least known region � Molise. Molise, in fact, only became a separate region in 1963. Before that, it was considered part of Abruzzo, its neighbour. Sandwiched between the four regions of Abruzzo, Lazio, Campania and Puglia, Molise also has its own bit of coast on the Adriatic sea, so it can offer many different kinds of holiday, ranging from ski resorts to sun-and-sand, mountain trekking to quiet farm stays, exclusive wine tours and local food tastings, or all-the-fun-of-the-fair at some of the many colourful feasts and festivals that punctuate the calendar.

 

What I didn’t know about Molise:

            Some of the best truffles come from here, only they all go up to the famous annual Alba truffle fair and are passed off as Alba-produced truffles. In 2009, the massive truffle that fetched the price of $200,000 in the Alba auction actually came from Molise.

 

Molise's Special Qualities:

 

            With a total of some 300,000 inhabitants, Molise is one of Italy's least populated regions. Largely mountainous and rural, there are plenty of wide, open spaces, unpolluted air and all the peace and quiet it is becoming increasingly difficult to find in our busy, modern lives.  Bordering on the National Park of Abruzzo, it shares much of the park's rich variety of wildlife, including wolves, wild boar, deer, eagles and other birds of prey. Having been so much of a backwater, Molise has been spared the tasteless building developments and industrial spreads that have blotted the beauties of many other Italian regions and most of its towns and villages have preserved their air of old world charm. Tradition is still firmly rooted here and foreigners will be fascinated by many of the unique and age-old customs and festivals. Local food production is a source of pride and you can visit many of the cottage industries that produce top-quality gastronomic specialities. Shrinking populations is a big problem in many of the charming, historic old villages and many local councils are keen to encourage the purchase of old properties to be converted into holiday or retirement homes for foreigners. House prices are low and, since Molise is still “undiscovered”, this would be the time to find a bargain retreat in an authentic Italian village.  

 

CAMPOBASSO:

 

            Molise's capital is Campobasso, a city situated over 700 m above sea level, with 50,000 inhabitants,  The oldest part is grouped around the imposing 15th century Monforte Castle, which dominates the city from the height of Monte Sant'Antonio.  This area has preserved its medieval imprint. Enclosed within its old town walls with seven fortified access gates, it is a maze of steep and twisting narrow streets, towers and flights of stone stairs and old baronial town houses. Many of its principal monuments and churches were badly damaged or destroyed in the earthquake of 1805, including the Cathedral, which was rebuilt in the neo-classical style and re-opened in 1829.

 

Something Unusual to see:

 

The Museum of the Mysteries (opened in2006) contains something unique to Campobasso � the original thirteen “machines” that are paraded through the streets of the town on the Feast of Corpus Domini. These constructions, known as “Mysteries” from the medieval concept of a religious representation, personify scenes from the Bible or from the life of saints and carry living people dressed as characters such as the Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ, Mary Magdalene, Abraham, St. Anthony the Abbot, St. Leonard, St. Rocco, St. Nicholas and the Archangel Michael shown casting Lucifer out of Paradise. Local children, representing angels, are perched on the very top of the structures, looking as if they are floating in the air. The wood and metal frames, weighing an average 500 kgs and soaring some 5 metres high, were designed in 1740 by the sculptor Paolo Saverio Di Zinno and most of them are still original. Each one is carried, with its human load, in procession by 12 or more bearers. The museum also contains some of the costumes worn by the characters in the procession and old photographs of the event, dating back to 1874.

 

Eating in Campobasso:

You won't go hungry in this town! The historic centre of Campobasso is a lively place, with a large variety of restaurants, snack bars and night spots.

We were able to sample the following:

“Il Potest�”, situated on the central Via degli Orefici (Goldsmiths' Street), has a rustic d�cor with a wooden beamed ceiling and specialises in fish.

“L'Approdo” in Piazza Fondaco della Farina, has a dining room shaped like the deck of a ship. Fish dishes are the speciality of the house.

“Miseria e Nobilt�” in Via S. Antonio Abate is a high class family-run restaurant, acclaimed in many leading food guides.

“Monticello”, in Via Monticello, has a cosy interior inside a medieval house. Between courses, guests can while away the time studying the many books on Molise on the dining-room shelves.

“Peccati di Bacco” is an atmospheric wine bar in Via S. Antonio Abate with a tasty selection of cheeses, salamis and local seasonal biscuits and sweets.

 

We'll be continuing our guide to the pleasures of Molise in future edition


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