The fortress dominating the capital, and the procession of the Misteri
On the top of the hill on which the old town of Campobasso, the capital of Molise, rises, stands the Castello Monforte, a massive stone fortress rebuilt in 1458 by the count Nicola II di Monforte, a condottiero of the period, on the remains of an earlier Norman castle, after an earthquake had destroyed it. With its square plan, its corner towers and its thick walls, it dominates the city and the surrounding countryside, and from its terraces the view sweeps over the hills of Molise to the Matese mountains. To reach it, you climb through the lanes and steps of the medieval town, among stone houses, Romanesque churches, such as San Bartolomeo and San Giorgio, and the remains of the walls, in a quiet and authentic atmosphere.
Campobasso is famous for one of the most extraordinary religious festivals in Italy: the Processione dei Misteri, held on the feast of Corpus Domini. Through the streets of the city parade thirteen "Misteri", large iron and wooden structures, called "ingegni", designed in the eighteenth century by the sculptor Paolo Saverio Di Zinno, on which children and young people in costume, representing saints, angels, devils and biblical figures, seem to float in the air, held by invisible iron supports, while bearers carry the structures on their shoulders. The effect is magical and moving, and the procession attracts thousands of people. The Museo dei Misteri displays the structures and costumes all year round and tells the history of this tradition.
Tip: come for Corpus Domini to see the Misteri; visit the museum of the Misteri and climb up to the castle at sunset.
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