Molise is a narrow strip of mountainous land covering less than 550 square miles. It is the most remote, most recent and probably the least known region of Italy. Formed in 1963 when Abruzzo and Molise became independent from each other, it is for the most part ignored by tourists. High in the Apennine Mountains the region is largely enclosed by mountains and provides home to Italy’s unique Apennine bear although few get to witness one of these elusive creatures.

What makes Molise unique?

The remoteness of the region has ensured that it has remained relatively un-influenced by the rest of the country but if anything it has more in common with southern Italy than its central region neighbours.

The heavily forested slopes are scattered with castles, many in excellent stages of preservation. They overlook friendly medieval hamlets, glorious ancient ruins and some of the most uncontaminated nature in all Europe. Give the new housing estates a miss where women can be whistled at and asked “quant’è” when standing alone.

If you head east from a trip to Abbey di Montecassino, Venafro is a town surrounded by ancient olive groves and nestled among the Mainarde and Matese mountain ranges.

Here you'll find the first of the many Roman theatres Molise has to offer, along with an amphitheatre and a semi-circular Samnite meetinghouse. On the hill above, the Romanesque-Gothic cathedral contains several excellent 15th-century frescoes.

Don’t Miss...

1. The trail up to Monte La Gallinola in the Matese mountains where on a clear day you can see before you the entire region from the Mediterranean to the Adriatic.
2. Near Colli al Volturno, the imposing walls built by the Samnites in the 4th century BC, to protect the fabled, long-gone town of Aquilonia. Several miles long, twelve feet high and ten feet thick, it is made of polygonal blocks, contains no mortar, and is the largest existing fortification from the Italic period.
3. At 3000 feet above sea level, Pietrabbondante can claim to be the highest ancient settlement in Italy. It is also the most sacred gathering spot of the Samnites, and it is one of the very rare ancient monuments that have not been strangled by modern encroachments. It is a truly magical spot, sprawled across a rural plateau between deep green hills and broad cultivated fields. In ancient times this was Bovianum Vetus; the modern name of "plentiful stone" could not be more appropriate for the cluster of grey stone ruins, including a temple.
4. Fraterna fountain in Isernia erected in the 13th century by an affluent local family named Ponzia. As the name hints, they were descended from Pontius Pilate. There's also a wonderful cathedral which almost looks more like an ancient Roman government building than a Roman Catholic church.
5. Perhaps the most astounding thing Isernia has to offer was discovered by chance, during the building of the road from Isernia to Vasto. The oldest and most extensive Palaeolithic settlement in Europe! First unearthed in 1978, it dates from 800-900 thousand years ago and extends for over 320,000 square feet. Today you see one-tenth of it, walking on suspended sidewalks over 20,000 artifacts including tools, bone fragments and animal carcasses. Originals of the casts can be seen in the Palaeolithic Museum the 8th-century convent of S. Maria Assunta.