Molise, autumn 2022
2022
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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.
2021
Autumnal landscape of Molise
2017
Isernia - Fontana Fraterna
La "fontana Fraterna" (o fontana della Fraterna, fontana della Concezione, fontana delle Sette Cannelle o semplicemente Fraterna) è un'elegante fonte pubblica, nonché simbolo, della città di Isernia. Annoverata dall'Enciclopedia Treccani fra le più belle d'Italia, con sei getti d'acqua, dalle inusuali forme di un loggiato, realizzata con blocchi di pietra calcarea compatta, è una delle opere più significative e più importanti del comune pentro. Anticamente sorgeva in piazza Fraterna, di fronte alla chiesa della Concezione, ma dopo il bombardamento alleato del 1943 è situata in piazza Celestino V (ex largo Concezione), nel cuore del centro storico della città.
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.
2022
Isernia. Santo Spirito railway bridge.
2018
Pesche (IS)
Pesche (Pèschë in molisano) è un comune italiano di 1.682 abitanti della provincia di Isernia nel Molise. In località Fonte Lappone è situato il Dipartimento di Bioscienze e Territorio dell'Università del Molise, sede dei corsi di laurea in Informatica, Ingegneria Edile, Scienze Biologiche e Scienze Turistiche, nonché alcuni corsi di laurea magistrale. Tra le attività più tradizionali vi sono quelle artigianali, che pur non essendo diffuse come nel passato non sono del tutto scomparse, e si distinguono per la lavorazione del legno, ad intaglio, a mosaico, o per la realizzazione di mobili e di altri oggetti.
2022
Molise, Italy. Landscape on a late summer afternoon
Molise is an Italian mountainous region with a stretch of coast overlooking the Adriatic Sea. It includes a part of the Abruzzo National Park in the Apennine mountain range, with a rich wildlife.
2022
Isernia. The Sanctuary of SS Cosma e Damiano
The Sanctuary of Santi Cosma e Damiano is located at an altitude of 400 meters. Inside, silver busts of the seventeenth century are venerated with the relics of the two saints inside, always inside two small plaster statues depicting the two saints to whom the sanctuary is dedicated. According to tradition, the sanctuary has existed since 1130, the first official document concerning it, however, dates back to 1523. In fact, in 1130 it seems that a chapel was built in this place, but this statement cannot be supported by any documentation that proves its actual presence. on that date. The current sanctuary as we can see it today dates back to the construction of 1523. Inside, the church has a single nave with a coffered ceiling. The presbytery ends with an apse. A beautiful cycle of frescoes depicting the life of Saints Cosma and Damiano of the Neapolitan school adorns the church. The ceiling was instead made by various artisans of Agnone. Inside the sanctuary we also find a collection of ex-votos that include painted tablets, sheets with inscriptions, photographs, anthropomorphic figurines and other objects.
2023
Roccasicura. Church of St. Leonard of Limoges
Founded by the Longobards, it has maintained the old appearance of a small chapel with a single nave. The portal retains its 12th century appearance with a simple arch and lunette.
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.