THE MOLISE YOU DON'T EXPECT

history / experiential tours / food and wine

(six days / five nights)

DAY 1 - CAMPOBASSO - GAMBATESA

After breakfast, we will visit the historical city centre, characterised by narrow streets, long stairways, churches and historic buildings winding their way around the foot of the Monforte Castle.  Visit to chiesa di San Giorgio and Chiesa di San Leonardo. Guided tour of the Museo Sannitico (Samnite Museum). A walk in the heart of Campobasso's street art, between the San Giovanni and Fontanavecchia districts. Lunch in a typical restaurant. After lunch, we will continue on to Gambatesa.
The village is set on a tufaceous hill surrounded by countryside filled with olive trees, with the historic centre leaning against the Castello di Capua, a real gem, with its perfectly preserved Renaissance frescoes by Donato di Copertino. Guided tour of the Castle.  In the evening, we will return to the hotel for dinner and overnight stay.

DAY 2 - CARPINONE "The Waterfalls" - ROCCAMANDOLFI "Tibetan Bridge and Medieval Castle

If you are tired of the city and would like to escape to nature, Carpinone and its waterfalls are perfect for you. In fact, the local youth has been carrying out an extraordinary recovery of some nature trails for a few years now. These include those leading to the Carpinone and Schioppo waterfalls. The trails are wonderful and excellently maintained, thanks to the volunteers’ work. Entering nature, you can get right down to the waterfalls. Lunch in a typical restaurant. Following this, we will leave for Roccamandolfi (walk in the village, hike from the village to the Tibetan Bridge and the ruins of the Medieval Castle - 3.6 km trail, with an elevation gain of approximately 200 metres).

In the evening, we will return to the hotel for dinner and overnight stay.

DAY 3 - SEPINO (Archaeological area of Altilia) - GUARDIAREGIA (Nature reserve)

After breakfast at the hotel, excursion with an environmental hiking guide to the Guardiaregia-Campochiaro WWF Oasis, the largest in peninsular Italy. Over 300 hectares of pure and wild beauty, with watercourses that create spectacular and extraordinary karst phenomena, the San Nicola waterfall with a 100 meter drop, the canyon of the Quirino stream - 340 species of butterflies, both nocturnal and diurnal, a unique fauna populated by Poane, Red Kites, Peregrine Falcons, the rare Lanner, the Alpine Chough, the Imperial Crow, the Great Spotted Woodpecker and the Green Woodpecker, and finally the discreet presence of the wolf, the lord of this protected area.
The visit takes place on the 'San Nicola' nature loop trail, and takes about an hour and a half, with the first section sloping, and then flat. Very spectacular, as it is located on the edge of the Quirino gorge and the San Nicola waterfall. This trail is easily accessible to all. Typical lunch at an agritourism farm. In the afternoon, guided tour of the archaeological area of Altilia, the village of Sepino (walk through the historic centre, visiting the churches of Santa Cristina and Santa Maria Maggiore).

In the evening, we will return to the hotel in Campobasso, for dinner and overnight stay.

DAY 4 - CIVITACAMPOMARANO - ROCCAVIVARA

After breakfast at the hotel, day excursion with a guide. Little Civitacampomarano owes its new-found prominence to the concept behind the CVTà Street Fest, a street art festival held here every year. The entire village is characterised by the presence of murals and installations by world-renowned artists. Civita is also home to the Angevin Castle, which is still alive thanks to the tireless work of the volunteers who take care of its management. Visit to Civitacampomarano (the murals and street art, the majestic Angevin Castle, the village). Lunch in a typical restaurant. In the afternoon, we will continue on to Roccavivara. This town is a concentration of archaeological, artistic-religious and natural resources. From the Imperial-age Roman villa, to the Chiesa di Santa Maria del Canneto - among the most significant examples of Romanesque art - to the centuries-old beech forests near Lago Ivalso. 

In the evening, we will return to the hotel for dinner and overnight stay.

DAY 5 - TERMOLI - MONTENERO DI BISACCIA

Breakfast at the hotel and trip to Termoli by coach. Guided tour of Termoli’s Borgo Marinaro, surrounded by ancient walls, one of the most beautiful in Italy, which stands on a rocky promontory directly overlooking the sea, with the Cathedral, a national monument in Romanesque style, and the Castello Svevo at its centre. Visit to underground Termoli with the Cattedrale di Santa Maria dellaPurificazione and the Crypt. Lunch in a typical restaurant in Termoli. After lunch, we will go to Montenero di Bisaccia, a town on the Molise coast that stands on a gentle hill surrounded by a brilliant coastline lapped by crystal-clear waters. Guided tour of the village and the picturesque caves carved into the tuff, where traces of human settlements dating back to the Neolithic period have been found. Visit to a renowned winery to taste DOC wine and local delicacies. 

In the evening, we will return to the hotel for dinner and overnight stay.

DAY 6 - END OF TRIP AND RETURN HOME

Breakfast at the hotel and departure for the return journey.

INDIVIDUAL PARTICIPATION FEE FROM € 860.00

PERIOD: ALL YEAR ROUND