Colletorto is a ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' (municipality) in the

province of Campobasso The province of Campobasso (; ) is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Molise region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Campobasso. It covers an area of and has a total population of 223,871 (2017). There are 84 ''comuni'' (: ''comune'') in ...

in the southern Italian region of

Molise Molise ( , ; ; , ) is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. Until 1963, it formed part of the region of Abruzzi e Molise together with Abruzzo. The split, which did not become effective until 1970, makes Molise the newest region in Ital ...

. , it has a population of 1,626.

Geography

Colletorto is built on a hill 508m above sea level. The lowest point is 98m above sea level in the Fortore river valley, and the highest point is 776m above sea level at the top of Monte Crocella. The hills around Colletorto are covered in

maquis shrubland 220px, Low maquis in Corsica 220px, High ''macchia'' in Sardinia ( , , ) or ( , ; often in Italian; , ; ; ; ) is a savanna-like shrubland biome in the Mediterranean region, typically consisting of densely growing evergreen shrubs. Maquis ...

oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

forest,

olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'' ("European olive"), is a species of Subtropics, subtropical evergreen tree in the Family (biology), family Oleaceae. Originating in Anatolia, Asia Minor, it is abundant throughout the Mediterranean ...

trees,

cereal A cereal is a grass cultivated for its edible grain. Cereals are the world's largest crops, and are therefore staple foods. They include rice, wheat, rye, oats, barley, millet, and maize ( Corn). Edible grains from other plant families, ...

fields, and

fodder Fodder (), also called provender (), is any agriculture, agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock, such as cattle, domestic rabbit, rabbits, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. "Fodder" refers particularly to food ...

. The Fortore river passes through the . The Lago di Occhito, an artificial lake on the Fortore River at the

–

Apulia Apulia ( ), also known by its Italian language, Italian name Puglia (), is a Regions of Italy, region of Italy, located in the Southern Italy, southern peninsular section of the country, bordering the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Strait of Ot ...

border, is located near Colletorto. Important streams include the Cigno stream, which flows into the Lago di Occhito, and a stream in the Santa Maria valley that feeds the Fortore. The is divided into two parts: the upper part is called 'Hill', and the lower is named 'Earth'. The main road, , begins in Terra and crosses the historic district of 'Field of Flowers'. The district contains the Mother Church of Saint John the Baptist, the Palazzo Marchesale (now the town hall), and the Angioina Tower. The

Gargano Gargano () is a historical and geographical sub-region in the province of Foggia, Apulia, southeast Italy, consisting of a wide isolated mountain massif made of highland and several peaks and forming the backbone of a promontory projecting into ...

peninsula,

Lake Lesina Lake Lesina ( or ; ), situated in the north of Apulia between Tavoliere delle Puglie and the promontory of Gargano, is the ninth largest lake in Italy and the second largest in the southern part of the country. It is brackish, about 22 km lo ...

, the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...

, and the

Tremiti Islands The Tremiti Islands (, ), also literarily known as Isole Diomedee (" Diomedean Islands", from Greek ), are an archipelago in the Adriatic Sea, some offshore to the north of the Gargano Peninsula. They constitute a of Italy's Province of Foggi ...

can be seen from the Agioina Tower. Colletorto borders the municipalities of

Carlantino Carlantino ( Foggiano: ) is a village and ''comune'' in the province of Foggia in the Apulia region of southeast Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It ...

, Casalnuovo Monterotaro, San Giuliano di Puglia, and Sant'Elia a Pianisi.

Points of interest

Angioina Tower was built in 1369 by Queen

Joanna I of Naples Joanna I, also known as Johanna I (; December 1325 – 27 July 1382), was Queen of Naples, and Countess of Provence and Forcalquier from 1343 to 1381; she was also Princess of Achaea from 1373 to 1381. Joanna was the eldest daughter of C ...

on an old Norman castle, the walls of which are still visible. The 25m tower is the main monument and symbol of Colletorto. A private family donated the tower to the local council in 1959, and the most recent restoration was in 2012. The Palazzo Marchesale, which now serves as the town hall, was built in the 18th century by the

Cremonese Cremona ( , , ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po (river), Po river in the middle of the Po Valley. It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local city a ...

patrician Bartolomeo Rota, who reigned over the at the time. The palace was built upon the remains of the same castle as the Angioina Tower. It has two entrances on two different streets. The main facade faces the square where the main church, the Mother Church of Saint John the Baptist, is located. The Mother Church of Saint John the Baptist was built in 1730. The church has a single central

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

and no chapels. Niches under the arches of the side walls contain statues of saints, and there is an altar at the front of the room. Inside the church, there is a 1751 painting by Paolo Gamba, "The Holy Family", and an older painting on wood by Antonio Solario, "The

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

of Purity". The church also contains

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...

s of Saint Theodore, Saint Victorin, Saint Clementine, and Saint Gioconda. The Monastery of Saint Alfonso was built in 1728 at the expense of marquis Bartolomeo Rota and with the approval of Giovanni Andrea Tria, the bishop of

Larino Larino (; ) 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 town, seen from the mountains, is shaped like a bird' ...

. The monastery contains statues by Paolo Saverio Di Zinno and a painting by Placido Flaxis. The church was seriously damaged by the 2002 Molise earthquakes but has since been completely restored. The Church of Purgatory, now deconsecrated, was built and legally recognized in 1776 by a royal decree from

Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies Ferdinand I (Italian language, Italian: ''Ferdinando I''; 12 January 1751 – 4 January 1825) was Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, King of the Two Sicilies from 1816 until his death. Before that he had been, since 1759, King of Naples as Ferdinand I ...

. Since the 2002 earthquakes, it has been used as a

conference hall A conference hall, conference room, or meeting room is a room provided for singular events such as business conferences and meetings. Room It is commonly found at large hotels and convention centers though many other establishments, including even ...

and

showroom A plumbing fixture showroom, Canada, 1921 A showroom is a large space used to display products or show entertainment. Marketing location A showroom is a large space used to display products for sale, such as automobiles, furniture, appliances ...

. It is located inside the ancient town walls at the end of the main street. The Church has a large clockone of the largest in the regionbetween two small bell towers. A

low relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

of a skull is carved on the portal to remind churchgoers to behave righteously. The Chapel of Our Lady of Loreto is surrounded by olive trees on a hill 3km away from Colletorto. It was built by bishop Persio Caracci in 1638. The church underwent restoration in the 1990s. The Chapel of Saint Rocco is located in the cemetery 2km away from the .

Economy

Colletorto's economy depends on the production of

s and

extra virgin olive oil Olive oil is a vegetable oil obtained by pressing whole olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea'', a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin) and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking for frying foods, as a condiment, or ...

. The is a

cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...

of olive native to Colletorto that is used to produce Molise DOP olive oil. The municipality has joined the National Association of the Cities of Oil to promote its olive oil. Colletorto has about 250,000 trees that produce around three millionkg of olives per year. The has a paper factory and many

oil mill An oil mill is a grinding mill designed to crush or bruise oil-bearing seeds, such as linseed or peanuts, or other oil-rich vegetable material, such as olives or the fruit of the oil palm, which can then be pressed to extract vegetable oils, whi ...

s and private workshops. A

health center A healthcare center, health center, or community health center is one of a network of clinics staffed by a group of general practitioners and nurses providing healthcare services to people in a certain area. Typical services covered are family pr ...

for elderly persons is under construction.

Transportation

Colletorto is connected by public bus to the nearest towns and urban centers. The closest train station is the

Bonefro Bonefro is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Campobasso in the Italian region Molise, located about northeast of Campobasso. Bonefro borders the following municipalities: Casacalenda, Montelongo, Montorio nei Frentani, Ripabott ...

– Santa Croce station, which is 14km away on the regional Termoli–Venafro railway.

Culture

The celebrates the Feast of Saint Anthony on 17 January. The feast is an ancient festival particular to Colletorto that mixes Christian and pagan traditions and Food, drink, and music last all night and center around bonfires that are prepared in each quarter of the . On 29 August, the Feast of Saint John is held for Colletorto's patron saint. Near the

summer solstice The summer solstice or estival solstice occurs when one of Earth's poles has its maximum tilt toward the Sun. It happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere ( Northern and Southern). The summer solstice is the day with the longest peri ...

, the sun rises over the sea towards the

peninsula. According to local tradition, the head of

John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...

can be seen by looking toward the peninsula on the morning of 24 June.

International relations

Twin towns

Colletorto is twinned with: * Saint-Yrieix-sur-Charente, France *

Bari Bari ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia Regions of Italy, region, on the Adriatic Sea in southern Italy. It is the first most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy. It is a port and ...

, Italy *

Pano Lefkara Pano Lefkara () is a village on the island of Cyprus famous for its lace, known as lefkaritika in (Greek: λευκαρίτικα) and silver handicrafts. The village takes its name from the white of its silica and limestone: Lefkara is derived fro ...

, Cyprus * Xgħajra, Malta * Alsónémedi, Hungary *

Pelplin Pelplin () is a town in northern Poland, in the Tczew County, Pomeranian Voivodship. Population: 8,320 (2009). Pelplin is located in the ethnocultural region of Kociewie in Pomerania. It is home to one of the finest collections of medieval art ...

, Poland

References

{{authority control Cities and towns in Molise