Isernia. S. Spirito railway bridge
2021
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2023
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.
2025
Frosolone. Glimpses of the historic center
2020
Macchia d'Isernia. Baronial castle D'Alena
The castle occupies a substantial portion of the ancient circular village. It was built around 1100 by Clementina, daughter of Ruggero II Normanno, king of Sicily, when the fiefdom was part of the county of Ugone del Molise. The garrison passed into the hands of the Anjou, the Afflitto and the Rotondi barons. In 1480 it was restored in the Renaissance style as a patrician residence, purchased by Giovanni Donato della Marra, who was count of Macchia. In 1748 the castle was sold to Maria Grazia Rotondi, then sold to Nicola d'Alena. Celeste d'Alena was baroness of Macchia, married to the Frisari, counts of Bisceglie and patricians of Castel San Vincenzo. The façade of the building dominates the square in front of the village, embellished by a Renaissance loggia with round arches. The first part of this loggia dates back to the Aragonese period, with a roof resting on 5 small arches. The rest of the castle is spread over 3 levels, the highest of which is the attic. In the inner courtyard the beautiful Renaissance staircase with the colonnade, which leads to the noble floors, stands out. On the ground floor there are the cellars, the stables and the servants' rooms. The upper floor was the home of the nobles, with various rooms, including the private chapel with different relics. In 1984 the castle was fully restored, being brought back to its eighteenth-century splendor.
2022
Rocchetta al Volturno
Rocchetta a Volturno is an Italian town of 1 098 inhabitants in the province of Isernia in Molise. The Municipality of Rocchetta al Volturno is made up of two nuclei: the original village, called Rocchetta Alta, or Rocchetta Vecchia, still perched in a defensive position on the mountain, and Rocchetta Nuova, which is located at a lower altitude. The new Rocchetta was born because, at the end of the 19th century, the slope that connected the southern part of the ancient town with the opposite hill was deforested and the land began to show serious subsidence from 1890 due to the progressive sliding of the superimposed layers of clay and sandstone, increased by water infiltrations, both rain and spring. In 1905, following further disastrous events, the population moved for the most part downstream, where there was a hamlet called Case Sparse. The modern town is developed today in the center of a plateau, bordered to the west by the terminal part of the Mainarde chain and to the east by a depression, at the bottom of which the Volturno flows; about two kilometers away are the sources of the river. Its name characterizes the toponyms of other nearby municipalities such as Colli a Volturno and Cerro al Volturno.
2025
Agnone. Winter landscape 2024
2021
Autumnal landscape of Molise
2025
Monteroduni. The Pignatelli Castle
Pignatelli Castle dates back to the 18th century, when the Lombards erected a small fort, with the chapel of San Michele, their patron saint, now the parish church of the town.
2021
Isernia, the pine forest
2023
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, 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.
2017
Molise - Castel S. Vincenzo (IS) - Il Lago
Il lago di Castel San Vincenzo è un invaso artificiale realizzato sul finire degli anni Cinquanta per scopi idroelettrici. Il lago occupa una superficie di 6,140 km² ed ha una capacità utile di 10 milioni di metri cubi. Le acque che alimentano il lago provengono principalmente dai torrenti della Montagna Spaccata nei vicini comuni di Alfedena e Barrea. Le acque di questi torrenti alimentano le centrali Enel di Pizzone, di Rocchetta a Volturno e di Colli a Volturno. Seppure artificiale, il lago è ben armonizzato con il paesaggio circostante di montagne e boschi. La fauna acquatica è costituita in prevalenza da salmonidi. In prossimità del lago, dove è possibile dedicarsi alla pesca e ad altri sport d'acqua, sono presenti un'area attrezzata per il camping e un maneggio.