Molise


Molise is an administrative region of Italy that covers, thus being the second smallest region in the country after Aosta Valley; it is located in southern Italy, and has a population of 287,966 as of 2025. Its regional capital is Campobasso, which is also the capital of the Province of Campobasso, one of the two provinces that make up Molise. The other one is the Province of Isernia.
The region was born in 1963 from the division with Abruzzo, with which it formed the region of Abruzzi e Molise.
Molise's small size and relative obscurity led it to become the subject of a popular meme "Molise doesn't exist".
WWW regione.molise.it

Etymology

The name Molise appeared for the first time during the High Middle Ages as the name of a norman county located roughly in the territory between the comuni of Torella del Sannio and Duronia, both in Molise. The county's name came from the name of the family that governed it, the de' Moulins.

Geography

Molise has a surface area of, and it is bordered by Abruzzo to the north, Apulia to the east, Lazio to the west, and Campania to the south. It has of sandy coastline to the northeast, lying on the Adriatic Sea looking out toward the Tremiti Islands. The countryside of Molise is mostly mountainous, with 55% covered by mountains and most of the rest by hills that go down to the sea.

Orography and terrain

Molise's territory is mostly mountainous, and the mountainous area spans between the Appennino campano and the Appennino sannita, both tracts of the much longer mountain range of the Apennines. The region also features the Monti della Meta, a minor massif that defines the border between Molise, Lazio and Abruzzo, the Monti delle Mainarde and the Monti del Matese, both minor mountain chains.

Hydrography

Part of the border between Molise and Abruzzo is defined by the course of the Trigno, and part of the border between Molise and Apulia is defined by there course of the Fortore. Other important rivers are the Biferno and the Sangro. The Volturno, the main river in southern Italy in terms of length and basin size, and the Tammaro originate in Molise. The region is in general very rich in water resources.
Molise does not have on its territory natural lakes of relevant size. The biggest lakes in the region are the Lago di Guardialfiera and the Lago di Occhito, both artificial lakes, the latter being shared with Apulia.

Climate

The climate of Molise can be classified with the Köppen climate classification as Mediterranean. Temperature gets lower significantly in the inland.

History

Prehistory

Evidence found in the archeological site of Isernia La Pineta shows that Molise was inhabited as far back as the Paleolithic period. In this specific site traces of human presence dating up to 700 000 years ago were found, making Isernia La Pineta one of the most ancient and important sites in Italy and Western Europe. The fossil of a child that lived 583 000 years ago was found here, too, alongside the remains of animals and plants.

Pre-Roman and Roman era

Before the Romans arrived, Molise was part of the historical region of Samnium, and was thus inhabited by populations of samnite heritage. The tribe of the Penti settled around the 7th century BC the area that is today comprehended in the city of Isernia and the country around Campobasso, having frequent contacts with the Frentani, an Italic tribe that descended from the Samnites. Since the 4th century BC, the Roman Republic's expansionist aspiration caused the Samnites to collide with the Romans. This contact eventually sparked the Samnite Wars.
During the Second and the Third Samnite War the major cities such as Isernia and Bojano, which had been the Pentri's capital, were captured by the Romans, although the Samnites were completely defeated and their territory was effectively conquered only after Sulla won the Social War. Under Augustus Molise's territory was placed under the Regio IV Samnium.

Middle Ages

Molise's economy and demographics declined greatly during the late antiquity, and when the Lombards arrived they found the region to be not densely populated and lacking of important urban centers.
Under the Duchy of Benevento Molise was divided into gastaldates. In his Historia Langobardorum, Paul the Deacon writes that one of these gastaldates was the Gastaldate of Bojano, created around 667 AD by Grimoald I, King of the Lombards, who gave it in concession to the bulgarian commander Alzeco.
Many of the towns and villages of the region were founded under the Lombard domination, and the Lombards were also responsible in the diffusion of the cult of Saint Michael.
Between the 9th and the 11th century Molise was then ruled by the Normans. In 1045 Rudolf of Moulins descendend in southern Italy alongside the Hauteville family, conquering what then became the County of Bojano. In this period of time, the area was starrting to be called comitatus molisii probably because of the Moulins', the ruling family's, name. After the Moulins lost power around the end of the 11th century, the County organically dismantled in smaller fiefs.
After the reforms made by Frederick II, the Contado di ''Molise became the seat of a justiciarate of which the administration was conjoined with the one of the Terra di Lavoro, forming a single administrative district: the Justitiaratus Molisii et Terra Laboris''.

Modern era

In 1538 Molise was separated from the Terra di Lavoro and integrated within the Capitanata, until in 1806 Joseph Bonaparte extended the french administrative model, based on provinces, to the Kingdom of Naples. In 1811 the borders of the provinces had been practically totally defined, and the Province of Molise's territory reached roughly the area that it has today.
From 1817 the Province went through a crisis because of the presence on the territory of phenomena of brigandage.

Main sights and monuments

[Campobasso]

Isernia

Termoli

[Venafro]

  • Castle Pandone
  • Venafro Cathedral
  • Archeogical Museum of Venafro
  • War Museum Winterline Venafro

Province of Campobasso

Province of Isernia

Economy

Agriculture, involving small and micro holdings, is currently offering high-quality products. The agricultural holdings produce wine, cereals, olive oil, vegetables, fruits and dairy products. Traditional products are Grass Pea (cicerchia) and Farro. Molise's autochthonous grape is Tintilia which has been rediscovered during the last ten years, and many other PDO wines, both red and white.
Though there is a large Fiat plant, the industrial sector is dominated by the farming industry with small and medium-sized farms spread widely throughout the region. Another important industry is food processing: pasta, meat, milk products, oil and wine are the traditional products of the region. In the services sector the most important industries are distribution, hotels and catering, followed by transport and communications, banking and insurance. With few exceptions, in all sectors firms are small, and this explains the difficulties encountered when marketing products on a national scale.
International tourism is growing largely as a result of the recent opening of international flights from other European countries to Pescara Airport, which is not far to the north in Abruzzo and connected to Molise by the A14 highway.
The unemployment rate stood at 9.5% in 2020.

Tourism

Molise has many small and picturesque villages. Four of them have been selected by I Borghi più belli d'Italia, a non-profit private association of small Italian towns of strong historical and artistic interest, founded on the initiative of the Tourism Council of the National Association of Italian Municipalities.

Transport

The region doesn't have its own airport. However, other airports such as Abruzzo Airport, Bari Airport, Naples International Airport and Rome Fiumicino Airport are also used by air travellers from the region.

Demographics

The density of the population in Molise is well below the national average, at 64.5 inhabitants per km2, compared to a national figure of 195.1. The region is subdivided into two provinces: Campobasso and Isernia, which together cover 1.5% of Italy's territory and less than 1% of its population. The larger province in terms of area is Campobasso at 2,909 km2, while the smaller is Isernia at 1,529 km2. The province of Campobasso is the more densely populated of the two provinces, with 79.4 inhabitants per km2, whereas Isernia registers 58.9 inhabitants per km2. As of 2025, the 3 largest municipalities by population are Campobasso at 47,519, Termoli at 31,858 and Isernia at 20,616.
In the period 1951–71, large-scale emigration to other countries of the European Union, to other parts of Italy and overseas led to a significant decline in the population of Molise. Negative net migration persisted until 1981. Large-scale emigration has caused many of the smaller towns and villages to lose over 60% of their population, while only a small number of larger towns have recorded significant gains. From 1982 to 1994, net migration has been positive, then followed by a negative trend until 2001. Between 2011 and 2021, the population decreased by 6.9%.
The region is home to two main ethnic minorities: the Molisan Croats, and those who speak the Arbëresh dialect of Albanian in five towns of "basso Molise" in the province of Campobasso.

Government and politics

Administrative divisions

Molise is subdivided into two provinces:
ProvinceArea PopulationDensity Municipalities
Province of Campobasso2,925.41209,20771.584
Province of Isernia1,535.2478,75951.352

Culture

Molise has much tradition from the religious to the pagan, many museums, archeological sites, musical and food events.
Tradition
Arts, musical and food festivals
Museums

Cuisine

The cuisine of Molise is similar to the cuisine of Abruzzo, though there are some differences in the dishes and ingredients. The flavors of Molise are dominated by the many aromatic herbs that grow there. Some of the characteristic foods include spicy salami, a variety of locally produced cheeses, dishes using lamb or goat, pasta dishes with hearty sauces, and vegetables that grow in the region.
In addition to bruschetta, a typical antipasto will consist of any of several meat dishes, such as the sausages capocollo, the fennel-seasoned salsiccie al finocchio, soppressata, ventricina, frascateglie or sanguinaccio. In addition to these sausages, a variety of ham is available, such as smoked prosciutto. Frequently, the sausages are enjoyed with polenta.
Main dishes of the region include:
Common second dishes are:
  • Lamb, the most popular meat, served grilled, roasted, or stewed
  • Many organ meats of lamb, especially tripe, are popularConiglio alla molisana, grilled rabbit pieces skewered with sausage and herbsMazzarelle, tightly wrapped rolls made with lung and tripe of lambRagù d' agnello, braised lamb with sweet peppers, a specialty of IserniaTorcinelli, rolled strips of lamb tripe, sweetbreads, and liverPamparella or pork pancetta dried with peperoncino, soaked in wine and cut into small pieces. Pamparella is used to flavor sauces, in particular the sauce for dressing the tacconi, a rustic pasta made with flour and water.Saucicc', Paparuol' e Ova Fritte, sausage with sweet pepper and fried eggs
Typical vegetable dishes may include:Carciofi ripieni, artichokes stuffed with anchovies and capers
  • Peeled sweet peppers stuffed with breadcrumbs, anchovies, parsley, basil and peperoncino, sautéed in a frying pan and cooked with chopped tomatoesCipollacci con pecorino, fried strong onions and pecorino cheeseFrittata con basilico e cipolle, omelette with basil and onions
Fish dishes include red mullet soup, and spaghetti with cuttlefish. Trout from the Biferno river is notable for its flavor, and is cooked with a simple but tasty sauce of aromatic herbs. Zuppa di pesce, a fish stew, is a specialty of Termoli.
The cheeses produced in Molise are not very different from those produced in Abruzzo. The more common ones are Burrino and Manteca, soft, buttery cow's-milk cheeses; Pecorino, sheep's-milk cheese, served young and soft or aged and hard, called also "Maciuocco" in Molise; Scamorza, bland cow's-milk cheese, often served grilled; and Caciocavallo, sheep's-milk cheese.
Sweets and desserts have an ancient tradition here and are linked to the history of the territory and to religious and family festivities. Most common are:Calciumi, sweet ravioli filled with chestnuts, almonds, chocolate, vanilla, cooked wine musts, and cinnamon and then friedCiambelline, ring-shaped cakes made in the countryside. They may be all'olio or al vino rosso.Ferratelle all'anice, anise cakes made in metal molds and stamped with special patternsRicotta pizza, a cake pan filled with a blend of ricotta cheese, sugar, flour, butter, maraschino liqueur, and chocolate chips

International relations

Twin towns — sister cities

Molise is twinned with: