Carpinone. Il Castello

2020

The Castle of Carpinone was probably built in the Norman period and from the time of its construction until the end of the thirteenth century the building was repeatedly enlarged and equipped with greater fortifications to become one of the strongholds of Tommaso da Celano. In 1223, on the basis of an edict issued by Frederick II of Swabia, the castle was destroyed by Ruggiero di Pescolanciano. It was then rebuilt during the 14th century by the d'Evoli family and during the 15th century it returned to its former glory thanks to the commitment of Giacomo Caldora. The last family that bought the fiefdom, that of the de Riso, maintained it until the abolition of feudalism, in 1806. In 1954 the notary Valente, one of the last owners, had the entire main floor and the second floor rebuilt, adapting them to new housing needs. Currently the castle is presented, with its three surviving towers, in a state of evident majesty.

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Venafro, cimitero militare francese

Uscendo dalla città lungo la Strada statale 85 Venafrana direzione Isernia, su un'estesa zona pianeggiante (70.000 m²) si trova il cimitero di guerra francese, nel quale sono sepolti circa 6000 tombe di soldati del Corps Expeditionnaire Français (ma molte sono state esumate), di cui circa due terzi di origine marocchina, algerina e tunisina, oltre ad alcuni africani (senegalesi?), caduti in gran parte durante la battaglia di Cassino (nov.1943-mag.1944) e nell'aggiramento di Montecassino.

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Molise, winter 2022

Capracotta, winter 2022

Capracotta is an Italian town of 833 inhabitants in the province of Isernia, in Molise. It suffered great destruction during the Second World War and from the second half of the twentieth century it developed on the tourist level as a Molise ski resort together with Campitello Matese. Located at 1,421 meters above sea level, it is, from a geographical point of view, one of the highest areas of the Apennines as well as being the highest municipality in Molise. The town is located on the parallel 41 ½ and on the meridian of Castel dell'Ovo and extends between the countryside of Pescopennataro and Sant'Angelo del Pesco to the north, that of Agnone to the east, of Vastogirardi to the south and S. Pietro Avellana and Castel del Giudice. The highest point in the municipal area is the summit of Monte Campo at 1746 m a.s.l. Downstream of the town, towards the south, are the sources of the Verrino, a tributary of the river Trigno. Just outside the town, on the road to Pescopennataro, is the "Garden of Apennine Flora", a high altitude botanical garden that collects notable floral and tree species from central and southern Italy. Capracotta is an important climatic and ski resort. It has two important facilities: one for alpine skiing, in Monte Capraro, with a chairlift; the other for cross-country skiing in Prato Gentile: the latter facility was the site of the Absolute Italian Cross-Country Skiing Championships in 1997.

Spectacular photographs of sunsets in Molise

Molise is an Italian region with a stretch of coast overlooking the Adriatic Sea. It includes a part of the Abruzzo National Park in the Appennine mountain range, with a rich wildlife and trails.

Castel San Vincenzo. The lake. Winter 2022

Castel San Vincenzo, Isernia, Molise, Italy. The lake. It is an artificial reservoir built at the end of the fifties for hydroelectric purposes. It occupies an area of 6.140 km². The lake of Castel San Vincenzo is an artificial reservoir built in the late 1950s for hydroelectric purposes. The lake occupies an area of 0.614 km² and has a useful capacity of 10 million cubic meters. The waters that feed the lake come mainly from the streams of the Montagna Spaccata in the nearby municipalities of Alfedena and Barrea. The waters of these streams feed the Enel power stations in Pizzone, Rocchetta a Volturno and Colli a Volturno. Although artificial, the lake is well harmonized with the surrounding landscape of mountains and woods. The aquatic fauna consists mainly of salmonids. Near the lake, where it is possible to engage in fishing and other water sports, there is an area equipped for camping and a riding stable.

Castelpetroso, The Sanctuary. Via Matris

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Castelpetroso. Sanctuary of the Madonna Addolorata.

The basilica sanctuary of Maria Santissima Addolorata, or simply the Addolorata basilica is an important Catholic place of worship located in the municipality of Castelpetroso, in the province of Isernia, and belonging to the archdiocese of Campobasso-Boiano. According to the testimony of the visionaries, the Virgin Mary appeared for the first time on March 22, 1888 to two shepherdesses named Serafina and Bibiana in the locality of Cesa tra Santi, on the slopes of Mount Patalecchia. This first apparition was followed by others and, following the recognition of this phenomenon, Pope Paul VI proclaimed Maria Santissima Addolorata of Castelpetroso patroness of Molise on 6 December 1973. In the 1890s, it was decided to build a sanctuary near the place of the apparitions, but further downstream from this, so that it would be more easily accessible by pilgrims. The project was entrusted to Giuseppe Gualandi, whose death (1944) was succeeded by his son Francesco. On 28 September 1890 the first stone was laid and construction of the sanctuary began. It proceeded slowly due to economic problems and the two world wars: in 1907 the chapel of the Poles was finished and opened for worship, but the perimeter walls of the church were completed only in 1950 [2], thanks to donations from don Nicolino Passarelli, canon theologian of the cathedral of Venafro, lawyer of the Sacra Rota and professor. In the following decades the sanctuary was completed and consecrated on 21 September 1975 by the bishop of Boiano-Campobasso Alberto Carinci.

Vastogirardi, novembre 2023

Physical geography It is located at 1200 m above sea level. in the part of Molise bordering Abruzzo. The territory of Vastogirardi (IS) extends over an area of 60.72 km² and borders the municipalities of Capracotta to the north, San Pietro Avellana, Castel di Sangro (AQ) and Rionero Sannitico to the west, Forlì del Sannio, Roccasicura and Carovilli to the south, Agnone to the east. From a morphological point of view, the territory is separated from that of Capracotta by reliefs of Monte Capraro, which oscillate between 1300 - 1350 m, which descend steeply to Piano S. Angelo and Difesa Grande and Capo di Trigno (ancient lake basin ) at an altitude of 1100 m from which the Trigno river originates, one of the two most important Molise rivers which flows into the Adriatic Sea and gives its name to the road of the same name which reaches up to San Salvo (CH), i.e. the Trignina. To the west are the mountains of Montagnola (1292 m) and Monte Miglio (1350 m), to the south is Monte Pizzi (1373 m), while to the east are the mountains of Montagna Fiorita with Montarone (1278 m). Vastogirardi develops close to a hill at the top of which are the castle and the ecclesiastical complex of San Nicola di Bari. Inside the walls is the village, which appears well preserved in its original defense function, as evidenced by the cylindrical towers incorporated in factories and the supports between building blocks. The result of subsequent expansions, the churches of S. Rocco and S. Maria delle Grazie were built at the beginning of the 18th century and incorporated into the third urban expansion dating back to the 18th - 19th century. Over the course of the last century the town no longer followed the aggregation trend of stepped bands, according to the morphological trend of the site, but developed along via Garibaldi c.da Difensa (towards Castel di Sangro) and via Re d'Italia (direction Isernia). Origins of the name It is assumed that the name Vastogirardi originates from the name of a crusader captain, Giusto Girardi. In the past it also took the name of Castrum Girardi due to the castle (other attested toponyms are Castel Girardo, Rocca Girardo, Guasti Belardi, Guardia Giraldo and Guardia Gerardo) and subsequently its current name, deriving from an alliteration of Lombard jargon.

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