Molise

Molise is a region of Southern Italy, the second smallest of the regions. It was formerly part of the region of Abruzzi e Molise and now a separate entity.

Molise borders Abruzzo to the north-west, Lazio to the west, Campania to the south, Puglia to the south-east and the Adriatic Sea to the north-east. With an area of 4 438 km2, Molise is the smallest region in Southern Italy, and the youngest region in the country as a whole.

Molise is a typically inland and mountainous region, despite its 35 km of coast on the Adriatic. About 55% of the region is composed of mountains and the remaining 45% of uplands. The absence of lowlands and the predominance of mountainous areas constitute a natural barrier to the social and economic development of the region. Climate is directly influenced by topography: there is a maritime climate in the narrow coastal strip, a temperate one in the uplands and a continental climate in the more inland and mountainous areas.

Many of the towns in the interior have been almost abandoned as young people travel to the larger centres to find employment. There is a particularly rich cluster of communities in the Larino area. These are characteristic medieval hilltowns formed around a church, or - as in the case of Larino - a massive cathedral.