The Loop of the Villages of the Molise Matese

The Matese is one of those mountains that stay off the radar. Straddling Molise and Campania, it holds a karst plateau with a large lake, sinkholes, swallow holes and peaks that top two thousand metres, and yet its name means little even to many mountain enthusiasts. On the Molise side in particular, national tourism is almost absent: there are the shepherds, a few local hikers, and for the rest, silence. A loop among the stone villages of this massif is the best way to discover a district that has stayed authentic precisely because it has been forgotten.

The lake

The natural reference point is Lake Matese, one of the highest karst lakes in the Apennines, set in a basin between the peaks of Monte Miletto and La Gallinola, the highest summits of the massif. Its waters change colour with the seasons and its meadows, in spring and autumn, are dotted with grazing flocks. From here many trails set off, climbing towards the ridges and crossing the karst uplands, where the sinkholes and furrowed fields tell of the limestone nature of the mountain.

The villages

The human heart of this loop is the villages. Roccamandolfi is perhaps the most striking: a stone town perched beneath the remains of its Norman castle, built on an earlier Lombard fortress, from which a Tibetan bridge and a network of trails also lead out towards the nearby gorges and waterfalls. Not far off, towns such as Bojano, ancient capital of the Pentri Samnites at the foot of the massif, San Massimo, gateway to the ski facilities and high pastures of the Molise Matese, and Campochiaro, with its Sanctuary of Hercules on the plain, complete the picture of a territory where Samnite history, the Middle Ages and pastoralism overlap.

The loop develops by linking these villages with the mountain trails and the mule tracks that once joined the pastures. You walk among beech woods, high meadows and rocky outcrops, with views that range from the lake to the peaks. It is not a trivial route: the altitudes are considerable, the elevation gains make themselves felt and in some stretches the signage is minimal, so it is an itinerary suited to those who already have mountain experience and are well equipped with maps and appropriate clothing.

To get there, the Molise Matese is best reached by car: Bojano is also connected by rail on Molise's inland line, but to move between the villages and reach the lake a car is almost indispensable, given that mountain public transport is scarce. From Campobasso and Isernia you can easily drive to the gates of the massif. Once on site, it's worth basing yourself in one of the villages and organising your walking days from there.

When to go

The best months are June, September and October. In June the meadows are in bloom and the springs still generous; September and October bring the foliage colours of the beech woods, clear air and the flocks coming down from the high pastures. High summer can bring afternoon thunderstorms at altitude, while winter turns the massif into snow terrain, with conditions that require mountaineering equipment. The lovely thing is that, outside the few snow weekends, there's practically no one here: you can walk for hours along the lake or across the uplands, meeting only the odd horse or cow at pasture.

Practical tips

A practical tip: always check the weather before climbing to altitude, because on the Matese the mists can arrive quickly and disorient you on these uplands with no obvious landmarks. Carry enough water, because many high-altitude springs are seasonal, and treat yourself to a stop in one of the small restaurants in the villages to taste the cheeses of the Matese, from the buffalo mozzarella of the lower towns to the mountain caciocavallo: it's a way to support a fragile local economy and to take home the flavour of a mountain few people know.