Events, food, experiences for an unforgettable trip to Italy

Molise – Territory

map Molise - ItalyMolise offers a great variety of landscapes, from the mountains to the coast.

It includes several protected green areas preserving the natural enivironnement. Among them, the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise where there are the sources of river Volturno, the main waterway of Southern Italy

Further protected areas are the WWF Nature Reserve Guardiaregia-Campochiaro, the oasis The Mortine, the LIPU reserve Casacalenda, the Matese, the botanical garden Capracotta, the reserve Collemeluccio.
Lucky people may have the chance to see wild animals as the brown bears, deers, chamois, wolves.
Molise is a good opportunity for bike lovers as the “tratturi”, the sheep tracks of transhumance became long stretches of cycling paths.

Molise is also a land of ancient history. In the area of Lucera-Castel di Sangro there is the ancient temple of the Samnites (second century BC) In Larino it is possible to see a well preserved Roman amphitheater and the door of the gladiators, reserved to wrestlers winners.
Medieval castles are in Monteroduni and Roccamadolfi, a fortress is in Civita da Boiano, and the beautiful castle of Monforte in Campobasso, built in 1400 is in Campobasso.

The coasts of Molise are mainly sandy and the most popular seaside resorts are Termoli, Campomarino and Petaccio.

NATIONAL PARKS IN MOLISE:
The National Parks of Italy are natural areas of land, sea, river, or lake whose value is a well-preserved ecosystem. Thus their nature, together with their cultural, educational, or recreational values ​​are protected by the Italian Government in order to be preserved for the future.  Currently, in Italy there are 25 National Parks, covering an area of ​​over 1,500,000 hectares (15,000 km²), about 6% of the Italian territory.

Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park


REGIONAL PARKS IN MOLISE:
The Italian Regional Parks are land, river, lake, and sea areas facing the coast. Their value is being like a system including the nature of the places, art, ​​and cultural traditions of the local inhabitants. The Italian Regional Parks are more than 150 and cover an area of ​​approximately 1million and 500,000 hectares.

Olivo di Venafro Regional Park


NATURE RESERVES IN MOLISE:
Nature Reserves, also called Protected Natural Areas or Natural Oasis, their mission is to maintain their “equilibrium” by conserving and increasing biodiversity. These areas are characterized by heterogeneous landscapes and they are home to different species of animals and plants. They are the animal’s shelter for reproduction. Hunting is prohibited. Actually Protected Natural Areas in Italy are more than 145.

In the Province of Isernia:
Collemeluccio Nature Reserve
Montedimezzo Nature Reserve
Pesche Nature Reserve


UNESCO BIOSPHERE RESERVES IN MOLISE:
The Unesco Biosphere Reserves are areas representing important land, sea, coast ecosystems in which the conservation of its biodiversity is associated with the sustainable use of natural resources for the benefit of local communities. The worldwide network of Biosphere Reserves includes 669 reserves in 120 countries on five continents, of which 16 Biosphere Reserves in Italy.

Collemeluccio-Montedimezzo


WWF NATURE RESERVES IN MOLISE:
The WWF Oases are the first Italian network of protected areas managed by a private association. WWF activities in the Oases range from ecotourism to nature holidays, education, training, and environmental information programs. There are more than 100 WWF Oases in Italy, covering more than 30,000 hectares of land in 18 regions. They are visited by more than 500,000 people a year.

In the Province of Campobasso:
Guardiaregia-Campochiaro


BLUE FLAGS IN MOLISE:
Blue Flag is an International recognition reserved for lakes or seaside tourist resorts that comply with sustainable land management criteria. The Blue Flag is awarded annually by the non-governmental and non-profit organization “Foundation for Environmental Education” (FEE). Only the localities whose waters have been excellent in the previous season can apply. In 2020, more than 195 municipalities and over 407 Italian beaches have been awarded as “Blue Flag”.

In the Province of Campobasso:
Campomarino – Lido
Petacciato – Marina di Petacciato
Termoli – Lungomare Nord – Sant’Antonio


ORANGE FLAGS IN MOLISE:
Orange Flag is a tourism-environmental quality mark awarded by the Italian Touring Club to small towns in the Italian inland (maximum 15,000 inhabitants) which stand out for their quality hospitality. The Orange Flag has been awarded to over 200 Italian municipalities.

In the Province of Campobasso:
Ferrazzano

In the Province of Isernia:
Agnone
Scapoli