# Molise: Italy's youngest, emptiest region

> Molise took 0.10% of Italy's overnight stays in 2024 and has lost 14,576 residents in six years. Here's what exists, what it costs, and how to reach it.

URL: https://myitalia.it/regions/molise
Last updated: 2026-09-02

Molise recorded 456,284 overnight stays in 2024, 0.10% of the Italian total, which makes it the region that mass tourism has never reached, and the numbers below say what is actually there.

## The population figures are the story

Molise had 285,940 residents on January 1, 2026, down from 300,516 on January 1, 2020: 14,576 people gone in six years, a drop of 4.9%. Only Valle d'Aosta, at 122,554, has fewer people; Basilicata, the next one up, has 525,281.

They live in 136 towns across two provinces, Campobasso and Isernia, at an average of 2,100 residents per town. A page that promised you crowded piazzas here would be selling something.

## The twentieth region, created in 1963

Molise became a region on December 27, 1963 under constitutional law 3, which amended articles 131 and 57 of the Constitution and split the old Abruzzi e Molise in two. It took effect on January 19, 1964, signed by president Antonio Segni.

That makes it the newest of the twenty. It's a useful thing to know before reading older books, where the whole area is filed under Abruzzo.

## No World Heritage site, but the grass roads are listed

Molise is one of only two Italian regions with no World Heritage site in 2026, alongside Valle d'Aosta. What it has instead is intangible: transhumance, inscribed on the UNESCO representative list in 2019 on an Italian, Austrian and Greek nomination, and extended to ten states in 2023.

In Italy transhumance ran along the tratturi, the wide grass droving roads of the Apennines, and Molise is where the network is densest on the ground. Worth flagging honestly: none of the three official UNESCO or ministry pages names Molise or counts its tratturi, so the common claim that the region holds the largest surviving network isn't sourced.

## Saepinum: a Roman town, free while the work lasts

The archaeological area of Altilia-Saepinum at Sepino opens every day from 8:15 am to 7:15 pm (08:15 to 19:15 on Italian signs), last entry 30 minutes before closing. Entry has been free since March 1, 2026 because of works in progress; the ordinary price is €10 full and €2 reduced for ages 18 to 25, free under 18, with an annual card at €20.

Rome took the place in 293 BC during the third Samnite war. What survives is a full small town: forum, basilica, theater, four gates including Porta Bojano and Porta Terravecchia, and the walls with their towers. It grew where the Pescasseroli to Candela tratturo crossed the road from the Matese massif toward the Tammaro plain, so the droving road runs straight through the ruins.

## Pietrabbondante, Isernia, and twelve state sites

The Samnite sanctuary at Pietrabbondante sits at 1,000 m (3,280 feet) and opens Tuesday to Sunday, 8:45 am to 7:00 pm, at €6 full and €2 reduced. It is the largest piece of Samnite architecture anywhere, a theater and two temples on a terrace facing the mountains.

The National Paleolithic Museum at Isernia holds the finds from Isernia La Pineta, including a milk tooth from a child of five or six dated to 586,000 years ago. It opens Tuesday to Sunday, 8:15 am to 7:00 pm, €6 full and €2 reduced.

In total the state runs 12 cultural sites in Molise, at Campobasso, Castel San Vincenzo, Civitacampomarano, Gambatesa, Isernia, Pietrabbondante, Sepino and Venafro. That's the complete public inventory.

## Getting in, and the bell foundry at Agnone

Isernia is the only city in Molise with direct trains from Rome: five regional services a day from Roma Termini, 2 hours 5 minutes to 2 hours 19 minutes, at €14.05 in 2026. Campobasso is the regional capital and has no direct Rome train, which tells you most of what you need to know about planning here if you don't drive.

At Agnone, the Giovanni Paolo II bell museum stands next to the Marinelli pontifical foundry. Visits are guided and must be booked, at noon and 4:00 pm only, €9 full and €5 for ages 6 to 18. The bell foundry of Agnone has been casting since the Middle Ages.

Molise DOP extra virgin olive oil, registered in the EU on July 16, 2003, is the one denomination that belongs to this region alone. Everything else produced here, from Caciocavallo Silano to Vitellone Bianco, is shared with neighbors.

## FAQ

### Is Molise worth visiting?

It depends what you want from a day. There are no World Heritage sites, 12 state cultural sites in the whole region, and 456,284 overnight stays a year. If you want Roman ruins with nobody in them, and a bell foundry, yes. If you want a resort infrastructure, no.

### How do you get to Molise by train?

Isernia is the only Molise city with direct trains from Rome: five regional services a day from Roma Termini, taking 2 hours 5 minutes to 2 hours 19 minutes, at €14.05 in 2026. Campobasso, the regional capital, has no direct Rome service.

### Is Saepinum free to visit?

Yes, temporarily. The Roman site of Altilia-Saepinum at Sepino has had free entry since March 1, 2026 while work is under way. The ordinary price is €10 full and €2 reduced. It opens every day 8:15 am to 7:15 pm, last entry 30 minutes before closing.

### Does Molise have any UNESCO sites?

No World Heritage sites. Molise and Valle d'Aosta are the only two Italian regions without one in 2026. Molise does have a share of intangible heritage: transhumance, inscribed in 2019 and extended to ten states in 2023, moved along the tratturi that cross the region.

### How many people live in Molise?

285,940 as of January 1, 2026, spread over 136 towns in two provinces, Campobasso and Isernia. That is an average of 2,100 people per town. Only Valle d'Aosta, at 122,554, has fewer residents.

## Sources

| Fact | Source | Confidence | Valid until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nel 2024 Molise ha registrato 456.284 presenze turistiche. pari al 0.1% del totale nazionale | [Eurostat](https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/api/dissemination/statistics/1.0/data/tour_occ_nin2) | medium | 2027-07-31 |
| Molise e Valle d'Aosta sono le uniche due regioni italiane senza alcun sito UNESCO del Patrimonio Mondiale (2026) | [UNESCO World Heritage Centre](https://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/it/); [Ministero della Cultura - Ufficio UNESCO](https://unesco.cultura.gov.it/projects/); [Wikidata (query SPARQL su P1435=Q9259, P17=Q38, P757, P131)](https://query.wikidata.org/sparql) | medium | 2027-08-31 |
| L'olio extravergine di oliva Molise DOP e l'unica denominazione esclusivamente molisana, registrata nel registro UE dal 16 luglio 2003. | [MASAF - Elenco DOP e IGP prodotti agricoli (PDF, agg. 11/06/2026)](https://www.masaf.gov.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeAttachment.php/L/IT/D/1%252Fa%252F2%252FD.e7bdb4ebe6d458c7925a/P/BLOB%3AID%3D15453/E/pdf?mode=download); [Commissione europea - DG AGRI, registro eAmbrosia](https://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/eambrosia/geographical-indications-register/) | high | 2099-12-31 |
| Il Molise e la regione italiana piu recente: e stato istituito con la legge costituzionale 27 dicembre 1963 n. 3, staccandosi dagli Abruzzi e diventando la ventesima regione | [Normattiva - Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato](https://www.normattiva.it/atto/caricaDettaglioAtto?atto.dataPubblicazioneGazzetta=1964-01-04&atto.codiceRedazionale=063C0003&atto.articolo.numero=1&atto.articolo.tipoArticolo=0); [Regione Molise](https://www.regione.molise.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/20056) | high | 2099-12-31 |
| Il Molise ha perso 14.576 abitanti in sei anni, passando da 300.516 residenti al 1° gennaio 2020 a 285.940 al 1° gennaio 2026 (-4,9%) | [ISTAT - Demografia in cifre](https://demo.istat.it/app/?i=POS&l=it) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Con 285.940 residenti al 1° gennaio 2026 il Molise e la seconda regione meno popolosa d'Italia, dopo la Valle d'Aosta (122.554) e prima della Basilicata (525.281) | [ISTAT - Demografia in cifre](https://demo.istat.it/app/?i=POS&l=it) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Il Molise conta 136 comuni distribuiti su due sole province, Campobasso e Isernia, con una popolazione media per comune di circa 2.100 abitanti (2026) | [ISTAT - Demografia in cifre](https://demo.istat.it/app/?i=POS&l=it) | medium | 2027-12-31 |
| L'area archeologica romana di Altilia-Saepinum a Sepino e aperta tutti i giorni 8:15-19:15 e dal 1° marzo 2026 l'ingresso e temporaneamente gratuito per lavori in corso (tariffa ordinaria 10 euro intero, 2 euro ridotto) | [Parco archeologico di Sepino - Ministero della Cultura](https://www.parcosepino.it/); [Direzione regionale musei nazionali Molise - Ministero della Cultura](https://www.musei.molise.beniculturali.it/musei/area-archeologica-di-altilia-saepinum); [Ministero della Cultura](https://cultura.gov.it/luogo/parco-archeologico-di-sepino-area-archeologica-di-altilia-saepinum) | high | 2027-03-31 |
| Il tratturo Pescasseroli-Candela, una delle grandi vie erbose della transumanza, attraversa l'area archeologica romana di Altilia-Saepinum a Sepino: la citta romana nacque proprio all'incrocio fra il tratturo e la strada dal Matese verso la piana del Tammaro | [Direzione regionale musei nazionali Molise - Ministero della Cultura](https://www.musei.molise.beniculturali.it/musei/area-archeologica-di-altilia-saepinum) | medium | 2099-12-31 |
| La transumanza e iscritta dal 2019 nella Lista rappresentativa del patrimonio culturale immateriale UNESCO su candidatura di Italia, Austria e Grecia, ed e stata estesa nel 2023 a dieci Stati: in Italia si pratica lungo i tratturi, di cui il Molise conserva la rete piu estesa | [Commissione Nazionale Italiana per l'UNESCO](https://www.unesco.it/it/iniziative-dellunesco/patrimonio-culturale-immateriale/la-transumanza/); [Ministero della Cultura - Ufficio UNESCO](https://unesco.cultura.gov.it/projects/transumanza/); [UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage](https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/01470) | high | 2029-12-31 |
| Il santuario italico di Pietrabbondante, massima espressione architettonica dei Sanniti Pentri a circa 1.000 metri di quota, apre martedi-domenica 8:45-19:00 con biglietto di 6 euro intero e 2 ridotto (2026) | [Direzione regionale musei nazionali Molise - Ministero della Cultura](https://www.musei.molise.beniculturali.it/musei/santuario-italico) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Il Museo nazionale del Paleolitico di Isernia conserva i reperti del giacimento di Isernia La Pineta, dove e stato trovato un dente da latte di un bambino di 5-6 anni datato a 586.000 anni fa: aperto martedi-domenica 8:15-19:00, 6 euro intero e 2 ridotto (2026) | [Direzione regionale musei nazionali Molise - Ministero della Cultura](https://www.musei.molise.beniculturali.it/musei/museo-nazionale-del-paleolitico-di-isernia) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Ad Agnone il Museo storico della campana 'Giovanni Paolo II', accanto alla Pontificia Fonderia Marinelli, si visita solo con visita guidata su prenotazione obbligatoria alle 12:00 e alle 16:00, al costo di 9 euro intero e 5 euro ridotto 6-18 anni (2026) | [Museo storico della campana - Pontificia Fonderia Marinelli, Agnone](https://museocampanemarinelli.it/scopri-il-museo/visita-singola/); [doc 2](https://museocampanemarinelli.it/) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Lo Stato gestisce in Molise 12 luoghi della cultura, distribuiti in sole sei localita: Campobasso, Castel San Vincenzo, Civitacampomarano, Gambatesa, Isernia, Pietrabbondante, Sepino e Venafro | [Direzione regionale musei nazionali Molise - Ministero della Cultura](https://www.musei.molise.beniculturali.it/musei) | medium | 2027-08-31 |
| Isernia e l'unica citta molisana raggiunta da treni diretti da Roma: cinque regionali al giorno da Roma Termini in 2 ore e 5 minuti - 2 ore e 19 minuti, a 14,05 euro (2026) | [Trenitalia (motore di ricerca soluzioni lefrecce.it)](https://www.lefrecce.it/Channels.Website.BFF.WEB/website/ticket/solutions) | medium | 2027-03-31 |

## Image

https://media.myitalia.it/media/region.molise.1600.jpg
Author: AntoRoadlover. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Italian_mountains-Monte_Miletto_Molise.jpg

## Other languages

- it: https://myitalia.it/it/regioni/molise.md
- es: https://myitalia.it/es/regiones/molise.md
- fr: https://myitalia.it/fr/regions/molise.md
- de: https://myitalia.it/de/regionen/molise.md