1st day: Arrival in Santo Stefano di Sessanio
Arrival for lunch in Santo Stefano di Sessanio. Afternoon dedicated to two enchanting visits. We will first reach the Rocca di Calascio, which literally dominates the Tirino valley and the Navelli plateau, located on a ridge at an altitude of 1,460 meters. The building is so well connected to the surrounding area that it seems to have been created naturally by the mountain itself. Then we will visit the village, included in the Club of the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy, a true gem set in the mountains. Under the guidance of Francesco de 'Medici he became known for the "Carfagna" wool trade.
Meals: lunch in a restaurant, dinner in hotel. Overnight in Santo Stefano in the wonderful Albergo Diffuso, the first born in Italy!
2nd day: Santo Stefano di Sessanio / MAB Reserve (km 140 circa)
Among the wooded areas protected by Unesco, off-road vehicle or on foot.
We start from Santo Stefano di Sessanio and head south to San Pietro Avellana, the capital of the Molise truffle. The village is nestled in the woods and is part of the MAB Reserve, one of the seven Italian reserves of the biosphere established by UNESCO as part of the "Man and Biosphere" Program (they are 329 in 82 worldwide countries). The environment is typical of the central-southern internal Apennine areas. The morning activity includes a visit to two tasty workshops, truffles and cheeses, accompanied by short walks in nature and off-road vehicles trips. Lunch in a typical restaurant for a journey into the taste of forgotten flavors. In the afternoon we continue with the discovery and so we reach the surprising Paleolithic Museum of Isernia, whose collection includes all the finds from the excavation of Isernia La Pineta. Paleolithic finds from around 600,000 years ago have been found on this site, an exceptional discovery that constitutes a crucial point for the study of Italian and European prehistory. Transfer to hotel, leisure time, dinner and overnight stay.
Meals: breakfast in hotel, lunch in restaurant and dinner at the farmhouse.
Overnight in the historic center of Isernia in an ancient historic residence.
3rd day: Isernia / Upper Molise (km 60 circa)
Ancient manufacturing traditions, paleolithic finds and medicinal plants. A whole day dedicated to the beauties of the very high Molise starting with a short and panoramic walk, traveling through history overlooking the valley of the Verrino river along the Tratturello Castel del Giudice - Sprondasino. Upon arrival we will find the off-road vehicles waiting for us that will quickly transport us to Agnone for a visit to the Pontifical Foundry of Campane Marinelli, an Italian family-run metallurgical company specializing in the construction of bells. Founded and managed today by the Marinelli family, it is the oldest Italian and one of the oldest in the world. Walk through the historic center and lunch in restaurant. Departure to Pietrabbondante to visit the Theater/Temple which, due to its monumentality, is considered the most important place of worship in the Samnite state. Return to the hotel.
Meals: breakfast in hotel, lunch in restaurant and dinner in a typical restaurant.
Overnight in the historic center of Isernia in an ancient historic residence.
4th day: Montagnola Molisana (km 50)
Between shepherds and wind. In the morning we move towards Civitanova del Sannio, a village of ancient Oscan and Samnite origins. The off-road route will give us moments of true adventure until we reach the fold and the house of our shepherd where we will delight in witnessing the artisan dairy processing. We will learn about the uses and customs of these ancient keepers of the flocks.
Leaving the laboratory, we go up again to our unstoppable Land and travel along an unlikely road that rises steeply within the Massif Promontory of Montagnola Molisana, a huge mountain that is home to some of the most beautiful existing beech woods that leave space for huge meadows and endless panoramas. A pleasant picnic will be set up for lunch, without giving up any comfort but appreciating the pleasure of a meal in the open air.In the afternoon we continue our off-road trip along the Tratturo Lucera - Castel di Sangro. Arrival in Colle d'Anchise for dinner and overnight.
Meals: breakfast in hotel, picnic lunch, dinner in Albergo Diffuso.
Overnight: Colle d'Anchise in Albergo Diffuso
5th day: Guardiaregia / Altilia – Sepino / Campobasso (km 70 circa)
Discovering the Samnite Apennines, fording rivers and reliving the places of battle between Romans and Samnites. We leave in the morning for a breathtaking journey along the Monti del Matese, the most important massif of what is called the Samnite Apennines, a place steeped in history, as well as characterized by extreme nature. With the off-road vehicles we go on the traces of abandoned paths that cross the Matese massif where perched villages watch over their passage. We are going to visit the "Via delle Grotte" which, through beautiful beech woods, climbs up the Campochiaro mountain to cross the mountain range. We go into the woods to meet the abyss called “Pozzo della Neve”, a scenic cave which is one of the most important underground systems in Italy for its depth and development.
Lunch at the "Scuderie del Peschio" and then we face our last adventure of the day and breathe the millenary history of these places firmly linked to the Regio Tratturo "Pescasseroli Candela". We first explore the Italic Temple of San Pietro dei Cantoni and then we will walk between the Cardo and the Decumano of the Roman city of Altilia (Saepinum), an incredibly well preserved Roman settlement, which clearly shows all the characteristics of the urban structure. It stands at the point where the Tratturo crosses the road that connects the Matese to the sea. Originally it was a Samnite village, Saipins, built in a strategic position at 950 meters above sea level. When the Romans invaded it during the third Samnite war (293 BC), the population was forced to move downstream and the city became a Roman administrative center. We will enter the archaeological area through one of the wonderful doors placed along the walls, we will observe the remains of the ancient towers and we will step on the Decumano, on the sides of which there are artisan shops, fountains and thermal baths. The extraordinary basilica is visible, with Doric columns and the forum, an ancient place for political and administrative functions. At the end of the visit we will return to the “Piana dei Mulini” for dinner and overnight stay.
Meals: breakfast and dinner in the Albergo Diffuso in Colle d’Anchise, lunch in the Scuderie del Peschio restaurant. Overnight: Colle d’Anchise Albergo Diffuso
6th day: Romanesque churches e Tratturi – Campobasso (110 km circa)
The enchanting sceneries of the hills in Lower Molise. The itinerary of today is an immersion in the most authentic Molise, made up of small villages set among rolling panoramic hills surrounded by cultivated fields. We starts on off-road vehicle from Campobasso, towards Petrella Tifernina, along the Tratturo “Cortile - Centocelle” to admire “Taberna” and infinite panoramas. Quickly we reach the village of Petrella. The inhabited area preserves in the center of the old part an architectural "Trittico" of considerable historical and artistic interest, the destination of many scholars (but still few tourists): three monuments set one into the other and from different eras: a Byzantine, a Lombard and a Romanesque temple. The Temple of San Giorgio Martire is one of the most interesting achievements of Romanesque architecture in the region. We leave Petrella and far from the noise of today's civilization, in the open countryside, on the edge of the Tratturo and on a beautiful hill in the countryside of Matrice, we arrive at Santa Maria della Strada, a jewel of 1100 architecture. Visit to the church and then we follow a splendid ridge route with views over the whole Lower Molise until we reach Pietracatella. Typical lunch in a restaurant and visit to the huge lake of Occhito and the rock shelters of Macchia Valfortore. The lake is a fundamental wetland, a stop for migratory birds, including the gadwall, the wigeon, the shoveler, the tufted duck, the pochard, the wild goose and the cormorant. It will be possible to continue exploring the area on foot or with horses (as an optional activity not included). Return to Campobasso for dinner and overnight stay.
Meals: breakfast in Albergo Diffuso, tasting lunch in restaurant, dinner in a typical restaurant in the village of Campobasso.
Overnight: 4* hotel in the center of Campobasso
7th day: Goodbye Molise!
Breakfast and check-out of your room. Departure for your destination of origin or extension of your stay in Molise with our other proposals.