Teachers: Cinquina Maria, Conti Roberta, Ferrante Marilena Comenius project School year 2006/2007 Istituto Statale Comprensivo “Molise Altissimo”

Teachers: Cinquina Maria, Conti Roberta, Ferrante Marilena Comenius project School year 2006/2007 MOLISE Maria Capretta and Iris Ricchiuti present:

Teachers: Cinquina Maria, Conti Roberta, Ferrante Marilena Comenius project School year 2006/2007 The prehistory Molise was inhabited since the Stone Age by hunters; they ate wild preys and plants. They were Sanities descendants.

Teachers: Cinquina Maria, Conti Roberta, Ferrante Marilena Comenius project School year 2006/2007 Isernia…… was one of the most important Sanities cities.

Teachers: Cinquina Maria, Conti Roberta, Ferrante Marilena Comenius project School year 2006/2007 Roman’s domination The Sanities population towards the third century clashed with the Romans they advanced to conquer the peninsula and they were seriously defeated.

Teachers: Cinquina Maria, Conti Roberta, Ferrante Marilena Comenius project School year 2006/2007 What did the Romans do? The rulers, besides occupying the territories, imposed their language, laws, their usages and customs according to an action called “Romanization”.

Teachers: Cinquina Maria, Conti Roberta, Ferrante Marilena Comenius project School year 2006/2007 Barbarian In 476 A.D. the Roman Empire of West and felt down and Italy became a land without defences, prey to Barbarian invasions.

Teachers: Cinquina Maria, Conti Roberta, Ferrante Marilena Comenius project School year 2006/2007 Before the Longobard In Molise in the 8 th century, after different rulers, the Longobard imposed their power they maintained the power for a long time.

Teachers: Cinquina Maria, Conti Roberta, Ferrante Marilena Comenius project School year 2006/2007 After the Normans The region was dominated by another foreign population the Normans in this period Molise enlarged its boundaries.

Teachers: Cinquina Maria, Conti Roberta, Ferrante Marilena Comenius project School year 2006/2007 ALTERNE EVENTS In the 16 th Century the history of the region became one thing with the other regions of the South of Italy. In fact it became part of the kingdom of two Sicily.

Teachers: Cinquina Maria, Conti Roberta, Ferrante Marilena Comenius project School year 2006/2007 Who ruled? Under the leadership of the reign of two Sicily different foreign families alternated. One of them was the Bourbon family who dominated from 1735 to the unity of Italy in 1860.

Teachers: Cinquina Maria, Conti Roberta, Ferrante Marilena Comenius project School year 2006/2007 And after…? During the unity of Italy in the 18th century the power passed to Napoleon.

Teachers: Cinquina Maria, Conti Roberta, Ferrante Marilena Comenius project School year 2006/2007 Lines of communication Since the second post- war period Molise remained isolated because of its mountainous ground.

Teachers: Cinquina Maria, Conti Roberta, Ferrante Marilena Comenius project School year 2006/2007 Lines of communication On the coast there is a motorway and a railway, they link this region to Rome, Naples, Pescara and Foggia. And a large part of the inland roads is very good.

Teachers: Cinquina Maria, Conti Roberta, Ferrante Marilena Comenius project School year 2006/2007 The navigation Molise doesn’t have seaports of great importance because of its linear coast. Among the different little ports of the region, the port of Termoli stands out from the others; it is a commercial and tourist centre.

Teachers: Cinquina Maria, Conti Roberta, Ferrante Marilena Comenius project School year 2006/2007 The roads of the past The sheep tracks are the roads of grass they are used to carry the sheep from the mountains of Molise and of Abruzzi to the planes of Puglia in winter and vice-versa in summer, this the Transhumance.

Teachers: Cinquina Maria, Conti Roberta, Ferrante Marilena Comenius project School year 2006/2007 How were the sheep-tracks? They were large 111mt and surrounded by fence. Along this road there were inns and signals of stone with some geographic indications for shepherds.

Teachers: Cinquina Maria, Conti Roberta, Ferrante Marilena Comenius project School year 2006/2007 The sheep tracks Today in there are less sheep tracks than in the past because the Transhumance of flock is no more practised. These sheep tracks are preserved with care and protected from the state as historical monument.

Teachers: Cinquina Maria, Conti Roberta, Ferrante Marilena Comenius project School year 2006/2007 Curiosity Molise derives its name from the family of Counts of Molise, who in the Middle Ages exercised their control over this region.

Teachers: Cinquina Maria, Conti Roberta, Ferrante Marilena Comenius project School year 2006/2007 Breading and fishing Considered the conformation of the earth, mainly mountainous the stock raising is particularly diffused. The fishing, practised along the coasts, is not an important activity for the economy of the region.

Teachers: Cinquina Maria, Conti Roberta, Ferrante Marilena Comenius project School year 2006/2007 The industry Today Molise has got many industries of little and middle size they occupy different sectors. The greatest industrial centre is the FIAT, it is in Termoli. The subsoil offers little deposits of methane, already exploited since many time.

Teachers: Cinquina Maria, Conti Roberta, Ferrante Marilena Comenius project School year 2006/2007 The tourism The tourism is developed along the coasts thanks to some bathing centres. While at Campitello Matese and Capracotta there are some winter ski resorts. The enological and gastronomic tourism is highly appreciated.

Teachers: Cinquina Maria, Conti Roberta, Ferrante Marilena Comenius project School year 2006/2007 The handicraft The handicraft is really strong and the activity of handicraft is intense, it produces furniture, lace, clothes and knives.

Teachers: Cinquina Maria, Conti Roberta, Ferrante Marilena Comenius project School year 2006/2007 The bells of Agnone Agnone is the capital of the bells. There is the most ancient foundry of bells in the world. It dates back to year and since then it manufactured different bells for churches spread all over the world.

Teachers: Cinquina Maria, Conti Roberta, Ferrante Marilena Comenius project School year 2006/2007 Emigration Molise saw many emigrations between 1880s and 1920 over the 40% of the population left this country toward the North of Europe and in America. In the 60s people left towards the industry of the North of Italy.

Teachers: Cinquina Maria, Conti Roberta, Ferrante Marilena Comenius project School year 2006/2007 The emigration today In the last decades we assist to an escape of brains: many graduates from Molise worked far from this region.

Teachers: Cinquina Maria, Conti Roberta, Ferrante Marilena Comenius project School year 2006/2007 The cities The chief town Campobasso (51833 inhabitants) maybe it was founded by the Longobards, it is about 700 m above the sea level between the river Biferno and Fortore. The Monforte Castle dominates it and it is its symbol and it is the administrative centre of the region.

Teachers: Cinquina Maria, Conti Roberta, Ferrante Marilena Comenius project School year 2006/2007 The cities Isernia (31094 inhabitants) stands over a spur of rocks. Its history dates back years ago and in the city there are monuments of Roman and Longobard time. Violent earthquake hit it and during the Second World War it was destroyed and after it was rebuilt as a commercial and agricultural canter.

Teachers: Cinquina Maria, Conti Roberta, Ferrante Marilena Comenius project School year 2006/2007 The climate The climate is continental in internal parts and Mediterranean near the coast. The rains are not very abundant, but in winter it often snows on the mountains. The temperatures vary a lot from the mountains to the coasts. Termoli has a winter average of 8° and in summer of 25°, Campobasso 4° and 22°.

Teachers: Cinquina Maria, Conti Roberta, Ferrante Marilena Comenius project School year 2006/2007 The flora… Few inhabitants and industries safeguard the nature. On the hills we find the maquis, with shrubs of thyme, rosemary, and while at highest altitude there are woods of oaks, beeches, pines and firs..

Teachers: Cinquina Maria, Conti Roberta, Ferrante Marilena Comenius project School year 2006/2007 … and fauna It is richer than in the other region, but some species are protected in the natural parks. Wolves, hares, squirrels, foxes and chamois live in this region and even rare wild cats and bears, the numerous birds are birds of prey.

Teachers: Cinquina Maria, Conti Roberta, Ferrante Marilena Comenius project School year 2006/2007 THE END

Teachers: Cinquina Maria, Conti Roberta, Ferrante Marilena Comenius project School year 2006/2007 Edited by Iris Ricchiuti e Maria Capretta Classe 1°