How I see Molise

“Every place has its own rhythm. The rhythm of Molise is slow. For this reason Molise stands out for its "Outdatedness" (Antonio Ruggeri, Molise against Molise, edizioni Enne)..

Molise is one of the smallest regions of Italy, has a population of 320,000 inhabitants, spread across 136 municipalities. Campobasso, Termoli and Isernia are the only "city" of the region. Molise is geographically part of the central-southern Italian area, but its social, economic and historical connotations make it a "southern" region. The geography has cut the region off from the main means of communication, determining the condition of marginalization and underdevelopment.

The region has seen only once in his history a short period of greatness, which coincides with the period of the Samnite wars. But after the defeat by the Romans, it never went back to that greatness. During the two following millennia the people from Molise learned to suffer, not to hope, to finally recognize their defeat, the renunciation of freedom, the daily sacrifice and fatalism put down deep roots into these people. The resignation, defeat as a law, constitute the world view, the concept of life which is summed up in the common expression "cosa vuoi fa?!" ("what can you do?").

The culture has changed in Molise from "pastoralist" to post-industrial skipping the stage of industrialization.
From 1945 to 1960 Molise lost one third of the population which was reduced from over 450,000 inhabitants to 300,000. Today, even though the population has stabilized, the depopulation of the small villages of the inland areas began to assume alarming proportions. 
Of course all the above does not apply to the coast of Molise, which has socio-economic and cultural dynamics that distinguish it from the rest of Molise.

My region is a "difficult" one, a very varied territory that reserves many surprises. To enjoy it you need to be culturally equipped, with a particular sensitivity to live in a space-time dimension of which not everybody is able to appreciate the intense beauty, the delicate harmony, the charm that remains a mystery ending up in feelings and emotions barely perceptible.