Molise
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Molise | |
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| Geography | |
| Status | Region |
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| Capital | Campobasso |
| President | Michele Iorio (Forza Italia-CdL) |
| Provinces | 2 |
| Area | 4,438 km² |
| - Ranked | 19th (1.5 %) |
| Population (2007 est.) | |
| - Total | 320,838 |
| - Ranked | 19th (0.5 %) |
| - Density | 72.3/km² |
Molise is a region of Southern Italy, the second smallest of the regions. It was formerly (until 1963) part of the region of Abruzzi e Molise (with Abruzzo) and now a separate entity. The region covers 4,438 km² and has a population of about 300,000.
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[edit] Geography
It borders Abruzzo to the north-west, Lazio to the west, Campania to the south, Puglia to the south-east and the Adriatic Sea to the north-east. Some observers have said that the province is de-populated, but for that very reason it has a charm and an authenticity that has been diluted in other parts of Italy. The landscape consists of broad plains sloping towards the Adriatic. As you move inland the terrain features rolling hills. In the north of the province there are the highlands. The farmland is very rich and the province is distinguished by an almost complete absence of fences of any type.
Many of the towns in the interior have been almost abandoned as young people travel to the larger centres to find employment.
There is a particularly rich cluster of communities in the Larino area. These are the characteristic medieval hilltowns formed around a church, or - as in the case of Larino - a massive cathedral.
The province is sometimes described as "impoverished". In fact a high premium was placed by Molise families on education and an unusual percentage of the population have university degrees. In the wave of emigration to the north these highly qualified "migrants" achieved positions of authority in the established firms of the richer provinces.
The province has escaped the worst excesses of mass tourism and even today there are few English-speaking tourists. Tourism tends to be from the south and west and consists of Italian families seeking less crowded beaches and expatriates returning to find their roots.
Molise is divided into two provinces:
[edit] History
Molise was populated for thousands of years. It has a proud heritage. For example the arena in Larino predates Rome's Colosseum and the ruins at Sepinum are remarkably well preserved and provide an insight into the sophistication of the Samnite tribes who, along with the Frentani, dominated this region. The Samnites were a hardy race of highlanders who bested the Romans in battle for a long time. After the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 AD Molise was invaded by the Goths (535 AD) and then by the Lombards in 572, and annexed to the Duchy of Benevento. A very troubled period began with the invasions of the Saracens, that in 860 AD destroyed Isernia, Telese, Alife, Sepino, Boiano and Venafro. By the 10th century there were 9 countdoms: Venafro, Larino, Trivento, Bojano, Isernia, Campomarino, Termoli, Sangro, Pietrabbondante.
In 1095 the most powerful of them, Bojano, came under the rule of the Norman Hugo I of Molhouse, who most probably gave his name to the region; his successor Ugo II was Count of Molise in 1144.
The province enjoyed a resurgence towards the end of the thirteenth century. The cathedral in Larino was built in 1314. The Franciscan monastery, in the same town, was dedicated, along with its rectangular bell tower, in 1312.
In the 16th century Molise was included to the Province of Capitanata (Apulia) and in 1806 became an autonomous Province, included in the Abruzzi region.
In the 19th century there was a general worsening of the economic conditions of the population, and this gave rise, under the newly established Kingdom of Italy (1861), to brigandage and a massive emigration not only abroad but also to more industrial Italian areas.
The French novelist Alexandre Dumas, père was in Molise at the time of Garibaldi. It was in Molise that he conceived his idea for The Blood Reign, based on a true episode that took place in the town of Larino.
Massive destruction occurred during World War II, until finally the Allied Forces were able to land at Termoli, in September 1943. Huge Allied land forces were based in Campobasso which was called "Maple Leaf City" by the Canadian troops.
Molise is the youngest Italian region, since it was established in 1963, when the region "Abruzzi e Molise" was split into two regions, which, however, retain a common identity both geographically and in their historical and traditional heritage.
[edit] Economy
Agriculture is still of considerable importance, though it is an impoverished sector, frequently subsistence farming, and characterized by large numbers of tiny holdings. The most common crops are wheat, broad beans and potatoes. Olives and wine-growing are of a certain importance, as are some vegetables and sunflowers. There exists a persistent agrarian tradition where even public sector employees will use part of their work day to maintain small working farms. Livestock is decreasing except for the traditional sheep-farming, while fishing is of little importance, since the only available port is Termoli. Mineral resources consist of the natural gas deposits at Larino. The industrial sector is underdeveloped and there is only one real industrialized area, near Termoli, with engineering, textile, foodstuff, furniture and building materials factories. Elsewhere, firms are small and semi-artisan, operating principally in the textile, woodworking, food processing and building materials sectors. One of the success stories is the development of the Fiat plant in the outskirts of Termoli. Recently the sales of Fiat automobiles have enjoyed unprecedented success and the plant has become one of the main employers of local youth. As is often the case in the automotive industry, there are innumerable "support" industries which are springing up. Just outside of Termoli, on the roadway to Larino, a huge shopping centre complex has been developed which rivals the type of "mall" found in North America.
The service sector employs just under half the active population; here the commercial sector, though badly organized and the public sector, which has been expanded since the Region and the Province of Isernia were established (1970), are of particular importance. After the earthquake of 2002 some of the communities in Molise became the focus of a generous government policy which contributed state money to individuals willing to make their homes more resistant to seismic activity. Larino, near Termoli, was a particular beneficiary of this policy and the town, already one of the most beautiful in the province, has been transformed. It was policy to return the houses to their historical colours and, based on careful research, the structures were painted in a range of soft pastel tones. As a result Larino has become an important centre for tourism and scores of expatriates from all over the world are returning to live in the revived centro storico (antique centre).
International tourism is becoming more evident largely as a result of the international flights from other European states, Great Britain, and North America which enter Pescara not far to the north in Abruzzo. The tourists are attracted by large expanses of unspoiled beaches, a relative lack of congestion, and the gentle pace of life.
[edit] Politics
Although the region has a center-right local government, at the April 2006 elections, Molise gave 50.5% of its votes to Romano Prodi of the centre-to-left Olive Tree party.
In November of the same year, Michele Iorio, centre-right candidate, won the regional election with over 54% of votes.
[edit] Demographics
On the whole, Molise is the least populated Italian region after the Val d'Aosta, with also a very low average density of population. Apart from the historical difficulties of settling in a territory which is mainly mountainous, this is due to a flow of emigrants abroad and to other Italian regions, a phenomenon which reached a peak at the beginning of the century and in the post-war period, and started to decline to a certain extent only from the 1970s onwards. The population density is highest in the areas surrounding Campobasso, the regional capital, and along the Adriatic coast, while the mountainous areas (for example in the Province of Isernia) are almost uninhabited. In the region there are two ethnic minorities: the Molisan Croats (2,500 people who speak an old Dalmatian dialect of the Croatian language) and the Molisan Albanians (Arbëreshë who speak an old dialect of the Albanian language which is now very different from the Albanian spoken on the other side of the Adriatic Sea). Molisan Albanians are generally of the Orthodox religion.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Molise Region information site: news, sport, recipes, traditions.
- Molise Region Official site
- Larino The Miracle of the Molise
- Italy Revisited (photo archives)
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