The Drove Roads of Molise on the Way of San Nicola towards Apulia

Molise is the region that Italians themselves struggle to place on the map, and for exactly that reason it gives walkers something rare: space all to yourself. Along the ancient drove roads of lower Molise runs a rural itinerary that descends towards Apulia and the Adriatic Sea, intertwining with the popular devotion to San Nicola, the saint whose relics are kept in Bari and a destination for pilgrimages for centuries. Here there are no crowds, no queues at the viewpoints: there are isolated farmsteads, ruined taverns swallowed by brambles, and a silence that at first almost throws you off.

Towards Larino

The heart of this walk is the drove-road network that crosses Molise, with historic routes such as the Celano-Foggia and the Castel di Sangro-Lucera that furrow the region from north to south. A good starting reference is the area of upper Molise and its stone villages, from which you slowly descend towards lower Molise. You pass through towns like Frosolone, known for its knives, and head for the area of Larino, an ancient Roman and medieval city with its amphitheatre, its Gothic cathedral and the traces of a layered history that few know.

Towards the sea

From Larino the route continues towards the coast, crossing the countryside of lower Molise where the drove roads make their way among cultivated fields, olive groves and vineyards. You come upon the so-called taverns, ancient resting stations along the sheep tracks, today often reduced to ruins wrapped in vegetation, and the fortified farmsteads that dot the landscape. The approach to the sea leads towards Termoli, the only true tourist centre on the Molise coast, with its old town gathered on the promontory, its Swabian castle and its small Romanesque cathedral. From here, ideally, both the gaze and the walk continue on towards the Apulia of San Nicola.

To get there, Molise can be reached by train as far as Termoli on the Adriatic line, or via Campobasso and Isernia from the interior; regional buses connect the main towns but with infrequent services, so it's worth studying the timetables carefully. Travelling on foot along the drove roads calls for self-sufficiency: signage has improved in recent years thanks to enhancement projects, but it remains patchy in places, and a good GPS track or a detailed map is indispensable. The hospitality is genuine and on a human scale, made of farm stays, small bed and breakfasts and family welcome in the villages.

When to go

The recommended months are April, May and October. Spring tinges the countryside with green and flowers, with ideal temperatures for long walks, while October brings the golden light of the grape and olive harvest, days still warm and a deep quiet. Summer, especially in the low-lying areas near the coast, can be muggy and less pleasant for long stages. The reason you meet almost no one here is simple: Molise remains among the least-visited regions in Italy, off the mass tourism circuits, and this means empty roads, unspoilt countryside and a welcome that hasn't been standardised.

Practical tips

A practical tip: plan your water and meals carefully, because between one village and the next you cross farming areas with very few services, and many taverns along the way are now only ruins. It's also worth setting off early in the morning, so you can cover the longer stages in the cool hours and arrive in the towns while there's still light, when the bars and trattorias are still open. Make the most of your stops in the towns to eat in the local trattorias, where the traditional Molise dishes, from cavatelli to wild field greens, tell the story of the land better than any guidebook, and stop to exchange a few words with those you meet: in Molise the welcome is spontaneous and you'll often find yourself invited in. And don't rush: the charm of this itinerary lies precisely in the slow pace, in letting yourself be surprised by an abandoned farmstead or a bell tower appearing on the horizon after hours of silence.