8/8/2020 The fascinating Italian region that you've never heard of NEWS WEBSITE OF THE YEAR My Feed Coronavirus News Politics Sport Business Money Opinion Tech Life Style Travel Culture See all Travel › Travel › Destin… › Europe › Italy › Articles The fascinating Italian region you've probably never heard of From hilltop villages to ancient ruins, Molise has many undiscovered attractions CREDIT: GETTY By Sasha Vasilyuk, TRAVEL WRITER Follow 8 AUGUST 2020 • 9:53AM https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/italy/articles/fascinating-italian-region-never-heard-of-molise-what-to-see-do/ 1/6 8/8/2020 The fascinating Italian region that you've never heard of There's skiing for winter and seafood suppers in seaside towns for summer in the corner of Italy that "doesn't exist" The silence of Molise’s Pietrabbondante Amphitheater was so absolute that I could almost hear the crowds that sat there more than two thousand years ago. After bowing to the 2,500 members of my invisible audience, I turned to see my husband, the only other person in this archeological site that was completed around 95 AD. Such a tranquil visit would be all but impossible at the ruins in Rome or Pompeii. An absence of other tourists was a recurring theme on our trip to Molise, Italy (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/italy/)’s second smallest region, just above Puglia. Despite its historical riches and pristine landscapes, including Pietrabbondante and Saepinum, one of the best- preserved ancient Roman ruins in Italy, it is so unknown that Italians like to joke that “Molise doesn’t exist” (it rhymes in Italian). On hearing this saying, any self-respecting Molisano retorts: “Molise exists and resists!”. In today’s climate, a lack of visitors is a big plus. This under-the-radar region has become one of the safest choices for Britons eager for an Italian holiday (as of August 8, it had recorded eight cases in the previous seven days; 3 per 100,000). Meanwhile, some lucky travellers have secured a free stay in Molise this summer (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/italian-village-free-holidays) – in San Giovanni, one of its many picturesque villages. Molise is also Italy’s youngest region, separated from the nearby Abruzzo (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/italy/articles/abruzzo-travel-guide-see-do-stay/) in 1970. It doesn’t have an airport – Rome (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/italy/rome/) or Naples are the easiest entry points – and the hills that rise here one after another, often topped by a village like a cherry on a cake, mean that it is best navigated by car. Termoli CREDIT: ISTOCK https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/italy/articles/fascinating-italian-region-never-heard-of-molise-what-to-see-do/ 2/6 8/8/2020 The fascinating Italian region that you've never heard of Its unique geography, which allows one to ski the Apennines in the winter and eat fresh seafood on the Adriatic coast, perhaps at its charming beach town of Termoli, in the summer, has defined its fate. Originally, this was the home of the Samnites, a tribe who knew their hills well enough to resist the Romans until the 1st century BC, when they were assimilated into Roman society. The well-organized Museo Sannitico, hidden in the crooked alleys under the dominating Manforte Castle in the region’s capital of Campobasso, shows the sophistication of this people. In fact, you will have heard of at least two Samnites – Cassius Longinus who assassinated Julius Caesar and Pontius Pilate who ordered the crucifixion of Jesus. You also may have come across the Oscan Tablet at the British Museum. This bronze tablet from the 3rd century BC is written in a Samnite dialect and was found in Agnone, often referred to as the Athens of the Sannio. Today, Agnone is home to the Marinelli Bell Foundry, where the same family has been making bells for 800 years, supplying the world’s major churches, including St. Peter’s Basilica. The foundry has a small museum where you can learn about their techniques, see bells of various sizes and fame, and test out your own bell-ringing chops. Bells can be heard throughout Molise. From Montagano, a white-stone village of less than a thousand inhabitants (where we stayed), we could hear the clangs ringing out across the hills from neighbouring villages. As a foreign tourist in this undiscovered region you can expect a warm welcome. In Montagano, the mayor treated us to beers and a group of locals invited us to an impromptu street-side picnic of wine and cheese, accompanied by guitar-playing. This generosity, we found, was region-wide. When one morning my husband went to hike Mount Miletto – Molise’s tallest peak at 6,700 feet – shepherds helped him find his way to the top. Matese Regional Park CREDIT: GETTY https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/italy/articles/fascinating-italian-region-never-heard-of-molise-what-to-see-do/ 3/6 8/8/2020 The fascinating Italian region that you've never heard of Then, on a picturesque drive through the leafy Matese Regional Park in the Apennines, we came upon Rifugio del Massaro, a farmstead known for its regional dishes. Despite being closed that afternoon, the owner showed us how he makes caciocavallo, the famed local cheese. We watched as he massaged the milky goo inside a large vat, pulling it with his veteran fingers and giving the cheese its distinctive nesting doll shape. He then invited us into his house for cheese and olive tasting. Near the end of our stay, a local from Montagano asked me to go mushroom hunting. Because of its climate and many woods, Molise is one of Italy’s biggest sources of porcini and white truffles. It was easy to see why when, after less than half an hour, we emerged with two pounds of porcini. He then cooked a porcini frittata, which my husband and I still refer to as “the best lunch we’ve ever had.” Molise's Mountain views comes with some pleasant surprises CREDIT: SASHA VASILYUK Molise’s tourist-free ruins and unspoiled natural beauty will pull you in, but it’s the welcome that stays with you. How to do it: From Rome’s Ciampino Airport, it is a faster drive to Molise (around two hours) than Fiumicino airport. Ryanair offers direct flights from Stansted to Ciampino. Naples International Airport is another option that’s even closer (you can drive to Molise in a little over one hour). British Airways, easyJet, Ryanair, Jet2 and Tui offer direct flights from the UK to Naples International Airport. Palazzo Cannavina in Campobasso (palazzocannavina.com (https://www.palazzocannavina.com/)) is a restored 17th century palazzo with frescoed walls and ceilings offers; the perfect mix of modern luxury and history in the heart of Campobasso’s historical center. Double rooms start from £99 in September. Casale Kolidur Hotel & Restaurant (kolidur.webflow.io (https://kolidur.webflow.io/en/casalekolidur/old-home)) is in Guardiaregia, one of the most picturesque villages in Molise and a short drive from the Roman ruins of Saepinum. Double rooms start from £63. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/italy/articles/fascinating-italian-region-never-heard-of-molise-what-to-see-do/ 4/6 8/8/2020 The fascinating Italian region that you've never heard of Back to top Telegraph) (https://www.linkedin.com/company/9053/) (https://www.snapchat.com/discover/The_Telegraph/8148798159) (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPgLNge0xqQ Contact us About us(https://corporate.telegraph.co.uk/) Rewards Archive(https://www.telegraph.co.uk/archive/) Reader Prints(https://telegraph.newsprints.co.uk/) Branded Content Syndication and Commissioning Guidelines Privacy Terms and Conditions Advertising Terms Fantasy Sport(https://fantasyfootball.telegraph.co.uk/) UK Voucher Codes(https://www.telegraph.co.uk/vouchercodes) Betting Offers Modern Slavery Manage Cookies © Telegraph Media Group Limited 2020 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/italy/articles/fascinating-italian-region-never-heard-of-molise-what-to-see-do/ 5/6 8/8/2020 The fascinating Italian region that you've never heard of https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/italy/articles/fascinating-italian-region-never-heard-of-molise-what-to-see-do/ 6/6.