Molise

Abstract

Molise is a secluded Italian region, with a rugged and mostly mountainous terrain, few plains, some of which marshy, and few plateaus. The soil is generally poor and shallow. However, in Molise farmers have managed to develop their own distinctive agriculture, centered especially on cereals, and, on the century-old practice of transhumance, or migrant animal-farming, bringing sheep to and from the plains of the nearby Puglia region, using a thick network of tracks. Molise is traditionally associated with neighboring Abruzzi, with which it shares a common landscape and history, while maintaining its own distinctive profile. Nowadays, it offers an interesting mosaic of traditional agricultural landscapes, especially in the inland areas. Here, we find the typical view of the latifundium, or large landed estate, in which pastures and cereal fields alternate over vast areas, among hills and small plains.