Molise · Campobasso
Montenero di Bisaccia
A tufa hill town above the northernmost stretch of Molise coast, home base of former magistrate Antonio Di Pietro and his vineyards.
Known for
WINE & OIL
Hills around the village hold the Città del Vino mark and Antonio Di Pietro's 24-hectare oil and wine estate.
COSTA VERDE
Long pine-backed beach below the village, the northernmost stretch of the Molise coast.
SAN MATTEO
Parish church on the tufa rock at the top of the village, its bell tower visible from the Adriatic coast road.
When to visit
Best · May–Sep
- J11°
- F14°
- M14°
- A17°
- M23°
- J28°
- J31°
- A31°
- S26°
- O22°
- N16°
- D13°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime averages, 2020–2024. The sea is warmest in August at 29° and coldest in February at 12°. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
The festa: Matteo, 21 September
Why come
Montenero di Bisaccia sits on a tufa relief, on the northern edge of Molise where the region meets Abruzzo. The Chiesa di San Matteo Apostolo crowns the rock, its bell tower visible from the coast road below. The Costa Verde beach, six kilometers down from the village, gives the commune its summer draw, with low dunes and pine groves backing the sand.
Antonio Di Pietro, the magistrate who prosecuted the Mani Pulite cases of the 1990s and went on to lead Italia dei Valori, was born and farms here; after politics he returned to a 24-hectare family holding inherited from his father and now produces olive oil and wine with his son Cristiano. The Città del Vino designation tracks that wine tradition. The hills around the village were also recorded by Serafino Razzi in 1576 as one of the Slav-influenced settlements of lower Molise.
The Sunday letter
We haven’t written Montenero di Bisaccia’s letter yet.
One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.
How to get there
From Bari / Brindisi (BRI), about 2h 32m by car.
Ancona / Pescara (AOI) is about 2h 47m away.
By car from the centre of Pescara 1h 10m, Bari 2h 36m or Ancona 2h 42m.
There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.
Coming by train into Pescara Centrale? Montenero di Bisaccia is about 1h 11m away by road.
What to see
Chiesa di San Matteo Apostolo
Parish church on the tufa rock at the top of the village, its bell tower the visible marker from the coast.
Centro storico
Stone old town spread along the tufa ridge, with narrow streets and views east to the Adriatic.
Costa Verde
Long sand beach six kilometers below the village, backed by pine groves and low dunes.
Belvedere
Lookout from the ridge with the long sweep of Molise coast, the Tremiti islands offshore, and the Maiella to the north.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where Montenero di Bisaccia fits in a slow Italy circuit.
Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.
Living here
- Population 6,174
- Off the beaten pathi
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest airport Bari / Brindisi, 2 h 32 min drive
- Regional capital Campobasso, 1 h 18 min drive
Common questions
- What is Montenero di Bisaccia known for?
- Montenero di Bisaccia is a tufa hill town at 273 meters above the northernmost stretch of Molise coast, home base of former magistrate Antonio Di Pietro and his vineyards.
- Where is Montenero di Bisaccia?
- Montenero di Bisaccia is a comune in the province of Campobasso, in Molise.
- What is the nearest airport to Montenero di Bisaccia?
- Bari / Brindisi (BRI), about 2h 32m by car.
- Can you get to Montenero di Bisaccia without a car?
- Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
- How long is the drive from Pescara to Montenero di Bisaccia?
- About 1h 10m by car.
- When is the best time to visit Montenero di Bisaccia?
- Best in May–Sep. July is the warmest month, averaging 31 degrees, and November the wettest, with about 13 rain days.
- Is there a sagra or a festival in Montenero di Bisaccia?
- The town keeps its patron saint's day: Matteo, 21 September.
- Which other towns are like Montenero di Bisaccia?
- Petacciato, Nova Siri and Rocca Imperiale.
- How many people live in Montenero di Bisaccia?
- 6,174 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 273 m
- Population: 6,174
- Surface area: 93.32 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
Similar
Towns like Montenero di Bisaccia
Petacciato
Province: Campobasso
both on the Adriatic coast · both between 3,000 and 10,000 people
Nova Siri
Province: Matera
both between 3,000 and 10,000 people · both hill towns
Rocca Imperiale
Province: Cosenza
both between 3,000 and 10,000 people · both hill towns
Larino
Province: Campobasso
both between 3,000 and 10,000 people · both hill towns
Guglionesi
Province: Campobasso
both between 3,000 and 10,000 people · both hill towns
Capalbio
Province: Grosseto
both between 3,000 and 10,000 people · both hill towns
🍷 Città del Vino
More Città del Vino towns
Città Sant'Angelo
Province: Pescara
A hilltop borgo at 320 meters between the Vestina hills and the Adriatic, named for the Archangel and known since 1352 as a Collegiata seat.
Controguerra
Province: Teramo
A 267-meter hill village whose name is legal shorthand for a small Montepulciano and Trebbiano-Passerina DOC.
Crecchio
Province: Chieti
A 209-meter hill town between the Adriatic and the Maiella, capital of Italy for one night in 1943 when the king slept in its castle.
Loreto Aprutino
Province: Pescara
A hilltop town at 290 meters in the Aprutino olive country, with a fourteenth-century Judgment fresco and a Castelli majolica collection.
Miglianico
Province: Chieti
A wine hill town at 125 meters between Pescara and the Adriatic, with the sanctuary of San Pantaleone above an unbroken horizon of vineyards.