Rocchetta a Volturno. Winter 2022

2022

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.

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Molise, Italy. Spectacular autumn panorama.

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.

Frosolone. Glimpses of the historic center

Capracotta. Parish Church of S. Maria in Cielo Assunta

It is located on the highest part of the town, in the Terra Vecchia district, and was the seat of the collegiate church. It is not known what the current church was like, which is the result of a total renovation in 1725. The antiquity of the church is testified by a bas-relief of the bell tower, which bears the symbol of the Tree of Life, from the Renaissance period, the adjacent walls, with the portal of the chapel of the Visitation, show holes for the bells. The stone bell tower, with a square plan, has its current appearance, the result of the restoration of 1898. The baptismal font in walnut wood, with gold decorations, restored in 1980, and a stone font can also be attributed to the archaic church. In the 18th century the civic coat of arms was moved to the main altar by the Town Hall, and the church became the symbol of the entire Capracottese community.

Isernia, the pine forest

Isernia. View from Pesche

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.

Molise - Fornelli (IS)

Fornelli (Furnièllè in molisano) è un comune italiano di 1.905 abitanti della provincia di Isernia nel Molise. Fa parte del circuito dei Borghi più belli d'Italia. È città dell'olio. Giace in parte su una collina lambita dal torrente Vandra, che confluisce nel Volturno, e in parte sul monte Cervaro, ove supera i 1000 metri. Il nome gli deriva forse da un forno per la produzione di laterizi cotti presente nell'antichità nel paese e al servizio della Badia di San Vincenzo. Fornelli, infatti, è caratterizzato da un terreno ricco di argilla.

Spectacular autumn landscape

The Guardialfiera or Liscione lake

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.

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