Molise

Molise

Molise

by Great Italian Chefs28 September 2018

Italy’s youngest province is a real treasure trove of undiscovered beauty – not only is it home to stunning scenery and beautiful beaches, it’s also where you'll find some of the best pasta in Italy.

Molise

Italy’s youngest province is a real treasure trove of undiscovered beauty – not only is it home to stunning scenery and beautiful beaches, it’s also where you'll find some of the best pasta in Italy.

Great Italian Chefs is a team of passionate food-lovers dedicated to bringing you the latest news, views and reviews from the gastronomic mecca that is Italy.

Great Italian Chefs is a team of food lovers dedicated to bringing you the latest news, views and reviews from the gastronomic mecca that is Italy. From Veneto and Lombardy in the north to Calabria and Sicily in the south, we celebrate the very best of this glorious cuisine and try to bring you a little bit of la dolce vita wherever you are.

Great Italian Chefs is a team of passionate food-lovers dedicated to bringing you the latest news, views and reviews from the gastronomic mecca that is Italy.

Great Italian Chefs is a team of food lovers dedicated to bringing you the latest news, views and reviews from the gastronomic mecca that is Italy. From Veneto and Lombardy in the north to Calabria and Sicily in the south, we celebrate the very best of this glorious cuisine and try to bring you a little bit of la dolce vita wherever you are.

Molise is Italy’s second smallest province after Valle D’Aosta and sits in the crossroads of Italy, between four very distinct regions of Italy: Puglia to the east, Lazio to the west, Campania to the south, and Abruzzo to the north. In fact, Molise and Abruzzo were once married together – Molise has only been independent since 1963, making it the youngest of Italy’s provinces.

Molise is quiet and untouched – the region is home to just 300,000 people, and daily life moves at a gentle pace. Tourists are few and far between here (so you might want to brush up on your Italian), but make the trek inland and you'll be rewarded for your efforts with some of the country’s most beautiful scenery. Over fifty percent of Molise is made up of mountains, criss-crossed with tratturi – the well-worn paths of Molisani shepherds, that stretch for many hundreds of miles between the hillside towns and villages of Molise. As you head east, those hills roll down towards a thirty-five kilometre stretch of blissful, sun-drenched Adriatic coastline.

On the food side, Molise is similarly undiscovered but no less delicious than that of any of its neighbours. The region has a longstanding reputation for excellent pasta – both cavatelli and fusilli are said to have originated here before they became popular pasta shapes across the country – and Molisani also love their offal, particularly when it’s on the barbecue. If you’re looking for an unadulterated slice of Italy, Molise should be high on your list of places to visit.

Molise: the complete foodie guide

Want to know more about the food and drink of Molise? Read our full guide to the region's most famous ingredients and dishes.

Pasta heaven

Don't visit Molise without tucking into some of the region's famous pasta dishes! Hand-rolled fusilli and cavatelli are true Molisani specialities, often coming in a variety of sauces. Take a look at these two famous recipes and learn more about the shapes that represent the region.

Local favourites

Take a hike through the hills of Molise and you'll see hundreds of sheep dotted across the landscape. Although the region is famous for lamb, you'll also see plenty of pork dishes too, like chewy, spicy pampanella, or the famous pork sausage known as 'La Signora'.