Bagnoli del Trigno

As in Campobasso or the not too distant Castropignano, in Bagnoli - high above the valley of the Trigno - the horizon is drawn by a fortress and its history is reminiscent of the rulers of the past. In this case, it is the Sanfelice Castle, from the name of the ruling family between the 16th and 18th centuries. It has a quadrilateral plan, thick scarp walls (i.e. wider at the bottom, to ensure greater strength), a soaring bell tower, and a group of houses.

From the village, you can climb up a ramp beside the rock where the castle stands, until you reach the imposing portal. Beware, however, that in order to go in and see for yourself that the external walls and internal load-bearing walls are - as they are - in place, it is a good idea to contact the Soprintendenza per i Beni Architettonici e Paesaggistici del Molise in Campobasso in advance. Restoration work may still be in progress.

Right at the top of the village below is another rock - what is called a morgia - where the bell tower of the Church of San Silvestro is as if wedged in the cleft between the body of the rock and one of its lateral spurs. The Romanesque portal with reliefs suggests that the church may be eight or nine centuries old, while the bell tower in the split gleams with green and yellow majolica on the onion-shaped apex. Among the village houses, one medieval house stands out, the so-called Roman house, with a graceful mullioned window and sculptural reliefs.