Trails of the Molise Matese, among karst lakes and peaks

Between Molise and Campania rises a limestone massif few people can name: the Matese. And yet it holds one of the most unspoiled and solitary high-altitude environments in the Centre-South, with vast plateaus, karst basins, sinkholes that swallow the water and a large mountain lake. It stays little visited because it lacks a famous name like the Gran Sasso or the Maiella, and because its access points are spread across many small villages with no strong tourist hub. Those who reach it find herds and horses roaming free, blooms and an almost absolute silence.

The lake

The heart of the Molise side is Lake Matese, a high-altitude karst lake, among the highest in the Apennines, enclosed between the group's two greatest mountains: Monte Miletto and the Gallinola. Its waters rise and fall with the karst, and in summer the level drops, leaving wide grassy banks where animals graze. The finest trails set off from the lake: the climb to Monte Miletto, the massif's main peak, offers from the top a view sweeping across the plateau and, on clear days, all the way to the sea; the Gallinola is a gentler goal, with long traverses across highland meadows. Between the two stretches the Campitello plateau, vast and windswept, where the horizon is made only of grass and rock.

The Matese is also a land of hidden water. Besides the lake, on the Campania side you'll find the Callora waterfalls and other drops where streams re-emerge from the limestone underground, while on the Molise side the villages of Campitello Matese, Bojano, San Massimo and Roccamandolfi act as gateways. Bojano, at the foot of the mountain, is a good base with its abundant springs; Roccamandolfi preserves the remains of a castle and a panoramic Tibetan bridge for those after a thrill. In winter Campitello Matese becomes a small ski resort, but out of season its meadows return to being the territory of hikers and few others.

How to get there

To get here, a car is best. On the Molise side you exit the A1 or head inland from Campobasso and Isernia up to Bojano, from which a mountain road climbs towards San Massimo and Campitello, and then continues at altitude towards the lake. Public transport serves the valley villages but not the high mountain, so for the trails you need your own vehicle. The roads up to the plateaus are narrow and full of hairpins, and in some stretches they cross areas where grazing animals spill onto the roadway: drive slowly. At altitude you move exclusively on foot, along trails that aren't always continuously marked.

When to go

The best period runs from June to September. June and July are the months of blooms on the plateaus and of water still high in the lake, with long, bright days; September brings crisp air, still-green pastures and great tranquillity after the summer. These months avoid the snow, which on the Matese is abundant and covers the high trails for much of the year, and the frequent fog of the shoulder seasons. Even in peak summer the mountain stays little visited: just move a little away from the lake and you'll meet no one.

Practical tips

A practical tip: on the Matese the weather changes fast and the plateaus are exposed, with no trees or shelter. Set out early, bring a windproof jacket even if it's hot down in the valley, and keep an eye on the sky, because the afternoon summer storms are violent and sudden on these open crests. Download the maps to your phone in advance, because signal is absent across most of the area, and respect the grazing animals and the herds' guard dogs, keeping your distance and giving them a wide, calm berth.

Practical guides for Todi

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• What to see in Todi in 2 days
• Where to eat in Todi
• How to get to Todi