Hived off in 1963 from its bigger northern sibling Molise is a small, hilly and rather undistinguished region.A kind of cultural gridge from north to south, it has a low ranking on the tourist trail.Largely rural and repeatedly shaken by devastating earthquakes,its towns are prosaic and ofg little interest.In fact , the traveller moving north to south will notice,perhaps for the first time,those great clumps of hideous concrete blocks that seem to pass for a kind of standard in modem Mediterranean "architecture",whether in southern Italy,Spain,Morocco or Egypt.It's not all bad news.You can wander through the Roman provincial town of Saepinum,south-west of Campobasso,and there are good walking opportunities in the Monti del Matese.Exavations in Isernia have unearthed what is believed to be the oldest village in Europe ,and the small beach resort of Termoli is a Jumping-off point for the Isole Tremiti,bunched together off the coast of northen Puglisa.
CAMPOBASSO
Molise's regional capital, Campobasso is predominantly modern and basically unappealing,but makes a good base for exploring nearby Saepinum.This town is one of the least visited Roman ruins in Italy.It's handy to Campobasso and worth a visit.An unimportant provincial town,it survived into the 9th century before being sacked by Arab invaders.Surrounded by small farms ,the ruins are quite well preserved and include the town walls, a temple,a triumphal arch the foundations of numerous houses.The Monti del Matese,south-west of Campobasso,offer good hiking in summer and adequate skiing in winter.In the end Capitello Matese is the centre for winter spotrs and has several hotels.

Surface (Kmq): 4438
City: Campobasso (CB), Isernia (IS).