Molise, region (1991 pop. 330,900), 1,714 sq mi (4,439 sq km), S central Italy, bordering on the Adriatic Sea in the east. Campobasso is the capital of the region, which is divided into the provinces of Campobasso and Isérnia. Mostly mountainous, Molise is crossed by the Apennines; there is a narrow coastal strip. The main occupation in the generally poor region is farming; cereals, pigs, and sheep are raised. Molise's few industries include the processing of food and the manufacture of clothing. Molise was conquered by the Romans in the 4th cent. B.C. After the fall of Rome it came under the Lombard duchy of Benevento (6th-11th cent.). From the 12th cent., it shared the history of Abruzzi.

Autonomous region (pop., 2001 prelim.: 316,548), south-central Italy. Its western sector is part of the Apennines, and the remainder consists mostly of low mountains and hills. Under Lombard rule during the early Middle Ages, it was controlled by the duchy of Benevento. In the 13th century it successively came under Angevin, Spanish, and Bourbon rulers. In 1860 it was joined to Abruzzi to form Abruzzi e Molise, which was incorporated into the Kingdom of Italy. In 1965 Abruzzi e Molise was divided back into the separate regions of Abruzzi and Molise. It is one of Italy's most rural regions; its capital, Campobasso, is the only city of any size.

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