Casacalenda (Molisan dialect Casechelenne; Kalena) is a ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' (municipality) in the

Province of Campobasso A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...

in the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

region

Molise Molise (, , ; nap, label=Neapolitan language, Neapolitan, Mulise) is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy. Until 1963, it formed part of the region of Abruzzi e Molise, alongside the region of Abruzzo. The split, which did not become effe ...

, located about northeast of

Campobasso Campobasso (, ; nap, label= Campobassan, Cambuàsce ) is a city and ''comune'' in southern Italy, the capital of the region of Molise and of the province of Campobasso. It is located in the high basin of the Biferno river, surrounded by Sann ...

. The Greek historian

Polybius Polybius (; grc-gre, Πολύβιος, ; ) was a Greek historian of the Hellenistic period. He is noted for his work , which covered the period of 264–146 BC and the Punic Wars in detail. Polybius is important for his analysis of the mixed ...

mentions a battle in 217 BC between the Roman army, based in Kalene, and

Hannibal Hannibal (; xpu, 𐤇𐤍𐤁𐤏𐤋, ''Ḥannibaʿl''; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Puni ...

, based in Gerione (now a hamlet of Casacalenda). , accessed 24 January 2009 The name might have been derived from the Latin ''Kalendae'' or

Kalends The calends or kalends ( la, kalendae) is the first day of every month in the Roman calendar. The English word "calendar" is derived from this word. Use The Romans called the first day of every month the ''calends'', signifying the start of a ne ...

, the first day of the month in the Roman calendar. Among its churches is

Santa Maria Maggiore The Basilica of Saint Mary Major ( it, Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, ; la, Basilica Sanctae Mariae Maioris), or church of Santa Maria Maggiore, is a Major papal basilica as well as one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome and the larges ...

. Casacalenda borders the following municipalities: Bonefro,

Guardialfiera Guardialfiera is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Campobasso in the Italian region Molise, located about northeast of Campobasso. It sits on a hilltop overlooking Lake Guardialfiera, which was created as a result of the damming of ...

Larino Larino ( nap, label= Campobassan dialect, Larìne; la, Larinum) is a town and ''comune'' of approximately 8,100 inhabitants in Molise, province of Campobasso, southern Italy. It is located in the fertile valley of the Biferno River. The old to ...

Lupara Lupara () is an Italian word used to refer to a sawed-off shotgun of the break-open type. It is traditionally associated with Cosa Nostra, the Italian organized crime group dominant in Sicily for their use of it in vendettas, defense — such as ...

Montorio nei Frentani Montorio nei Frentani (Campobassan dialect: Mundòrj) is a small town and ''comune'' in the province of Campobasso (Molise), in Southern Italy. Churches *Santa Maria Assunta Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint ...

Morrone del Sannio Morrone ( gd, Mór Bheinn, or Mór Shròn) is a Scottish hill immediately southwest of the village of Braemar in Aberdeenshire. Geography and topography The hill reaches a height of 859 metres (2818 feet) and qualifies as a Corbett an ...

Provvidenti Provvidenti is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Campobasso in the Italian region Molise, located about northeast of Campobasso. Provvidenti is the town with the smallest population in the province of Campobasso. Provvidenti borders ...

Ripabottoni Ripabottoni is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Campobasso in the Italian region Molise, located about northeast of Campobasso. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 644 and an area of .All demographics and other statistics: ...

Emigration

Since the end of World War II until the 1970s, the town's population declined considerably due to emigration. The places of choice for these emigrants were the Canadian cities of

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

and

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

even has its own Casacalenda Association.

Duncan, British Columbia Duncan (pop. 5,047 in 2021) is a city on southern Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. It is the smallest city by area (2.07 square kilometres, 0.8 square miles) in Canada. It was incorporated in 1912. Location The city is about 45 kilo ...

also has a sizeable community per its population.

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

and

East Greenwich, Rhode Island East Greenwich is a town and the county seat of Kent County, Rhode Island. The population was 14,312 at the 2020 census. East Greenwich is the wealthiest municipality within the state of Rhode Island. It is part of the Providence metropolitan st ...

Ship manifest from the USS ''Canopic'', 1912 also have a large population of citizens from Casacalenda. Buenos Aires, Argentina is the other destination where Casacalenda population emigrated.

Transportation

Casacalenda is served by a railway station, the Casacalenda-Guardalfiera railway station, on the Termoli-Campobasso and Termoli–Venafro line.

References

External links

Italy Revisited (photo archives)
Cities and towns in Molise {{Molise-geo-stub