Vastogirardi (IS)

2015

Vastogirardi (Rë Uàštë in molisano) è un comune italiano di 690 abitanti della provincia di Isernia nel Molise. Si presume che il nome Vastogirardi tragga origine dal nome di un capitano crociato, Giusto Girardi. In passato assunse anche il nome di Castrum Girardi per via del castello (altri toponimi attestati risultano Castel Girardo, Rocca Girardo, Guasti Belardi, Guardia Giraldo e Guardia Gerardo) e successivamente il nome attuale, che semplicisticamente si attribuisce alla felice posizione geografica del paese, dalla cui sommità è possibile godere di un vasto panorama, ma molto più scientificamente da un'allitterazione di gergo longobardo. Il patrimonio archeologico-architettonico di Vastogirardi annovera i resti di un santuario sannitico del II secolo a.C. in località S. Angelo e l'eccezionale complesso del castello fortificato, corte interna e complesso parrocchiale. Portali in pietra delle abitazioni, le stesse in pietrame a pezzatura irregolare, e aperture incorniciate da blocchi lapidei e mensole in pietre sagomate rappresentano invece il carattere dell'edilizia minore. Il castello fu costruito nel XIII secolo dagli Angioini sopra il colle montuoso del borgo. Successivamente appartenne ai Caldora e poi a famiglie del regno di Napoli, tra i quali i Caracciolo. Il castello fu oggetto di consolidamento nel XVIII secolo e con tale restauro fu trasformato in residenza gentilizia. Il castello è inglobato nelle mura di cinta della parte più alta del borgo, includendo la piazza e la chiesa parrocchiale di San Nicola. Si accede da un arco a tutto sesto. Della fortificazione angioina resta una torre circolare, e del periodo Caldoresco un loggiato nella parte all'interno del borgo prospiciente la piazza. Il castello assieme al borgo forma una ellisse. La Chiesa di S. Nicola di Bari risale al XV secolo ma l'edificio risulta integralmente restaurato nel 1702, come attesta un'iscrizione murata nel portale d'ingresso. Ad una sola navata, al cui interno è presente un antico ostensorio in argento, vi si accede attraverso un porticato a sua volta accessibile da una doppia rampa. Al suo fianco vi è un campanile in pietra.

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Isernia. Santo Spirito railway bridge.

Molise - S. Angelo in Grotte (IS)

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.

Cerro al Volturno. Winter 2022

Cerro al Volturno (Cièrrë in Molise) is an Italian town of 1 194 inhabitants in the province of Isernia in Molise, about 20 km from the border with Abruzzo. The municipality is also simply called Cerro because of its territory rich in oak woods, among which the Cerro, Quercus cerris, stands out. The Cerrese territory is on the border with the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise. The climate is mainly of the Apennine type: cool and rainy autumn, cold and snowy winter and mild summer. The town was founded by the Samnites (III century BC), of which fortifications remain at Mount Santa Croce. In medieval times the hill of the present village was colonized by peasants (9th century), since the fiefdom depended on the nearby Abbey of San Vincenzo al Volturno. The origin of the community itself is linked to the influence of the abbey of San Vincenzo al Volturno, one of the oldest Benedictine monasteries in the Kingdom of Naples and in the land of San Pietro, together with Montecassino and Farfa. Cerro already existed since 899, as evidenced in the Chrnicon Vulturnense, when Roffredo, abbot of San Vincenzo led the first peasant colony to cultivate the lands in the place of Cerrum, from the name of the oak trees. The 11th century Norman castle was later owned by the Filangieri, Borrello and Cantelmo di Popoli family, until the 15th century, when it passed to the Pandone family, who renovated it extensively. In the following centuries the feud belonged to various families, including the Carafa. In 1811 the village passed to the territory of Benevento, and only in 1861 was it included again in Molise, first linked to the territory of Piedimonte Matese, and then to the area of Castellone Volturno, i.e. Castel San Vincenzo. Since 1970 it has been part of the province of Isernia.

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, la Cattedrale, notturne

Rionero Sannitico (IS), la Chiesa Madre

La Chiesa Madre, dedicata a San Bartolomeo Apostolo e costruita nel 1717, rappresenta il maggior esempio artistico tra gli edifici sopravvissuti alla guerra e ai terremoti. Al suo interno vi sono ancora presenti degli affreschi, di indubbio valore storico-artistico, risalenti al XVIII secolo. Di altri affreschi, gravemente danneggiati dal terremoto del 1984, è rimasta sfortunatamente solo qualche fotografia a testimonianza di come la Chiesa abbia vissuto tempi più floridi.

Macchiagodena. Church of San Lorenzo.

The church of San Lorenzo is located near the Castle. Initially the structure was used as a convent, until it was abolished in 1866.

Benedictine Abbey of S. Vincenzo al Volturno

The Benedictine Abbey of San Vincenzo al Volturno is located about two kilometers from the sources of the river of the same name, in a favorable position on the fertile Piana di Rocchetta, defended by the Mainarde and Meta ranges to the west and the Matese massif to the south. On the affairs of the monastery we are informed by the Chronicon Vulturnense, an illuminated manuscript written in 1130 by a monk named Giovanni, who had in turn used internal sources of the VIII-XI century monastery. According to the Chronicon, the foundation dates back to the beginning of the 8th century and was due to three nobles from Benevento, Paldo, Taso and Tato, and to their search for a place to devote themselves to the ascetic life. The chosen area was frequented in late Roman times as shown by the remains of a church and a sepulchral area from the 5th-6th century AD

Macchia d'Isernia. Baronial castle D'Alena. View

Baronial castle of Alena: the castle occupies a substantial portion of the ancient circular village. It was built around 1100 by Clementina, daughter of Roger II Norman, king of Sicily, when the feud 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 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 given to Nicola d'Alena. Celeste d'Alena was baroness of Macchia, married to the Frisaris, 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 era, with a roof resting on 5 small arches. The rest of the castle is spread over 3 levels, of which the highest is the attic. In the internal courtyard, the beautiful Renaissance staircase with the colonnade stands out, which leads to the main floors. On the ground floor there are cellars, stables and servants' rooms. The upper floor was the residence of the nobles, with various rooms, including the private chapel with various relics. In 1984 the castle was extensively restored, being brought back to its eighteenth-century splendour.

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