Morcone 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 ...

'' (municipality) in the

Province of Benevento The Province of Benevento ( it, Provincia di Benevento) is a province in the Campania region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Benevento. Geography The province has an area of 2,071 km2, and, , a total population of 279,308. There are 78 ...

in the Italian region

Campania (man), it, Campana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demog ...

, located about 70 km northeast of

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

and about 25 km northwest of

Benevento Benevento (, , ; la, Beneventum) is a city and '' comune'' of Campania, Italy, capital of the province of Benevento, northeast of Naples. It is situated on a hill above sea level at the confluence of the Calore Irpino (or Beneventano) and t ...

. The villages (Contrade) of Morcone include: Canepino, Cuffiano, Coste, Torre, Fuschi, Piana. Morcone borders the following municipalities: Campolattaro,

Cercemaggiore Cercemaggiore is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Campobasso in the Italian region Molise, located about southeast of Campobasso. Cercemaggiore borders the following municipalities: Castelpagano, Cercepiccola, Gildone, Jelsi, Mir ...

, Cerreto Sannita, Circello, Pietraroja,

Pontelandolfo Pontelandolfo is an Italian town and ''comune'' in the Sannio Hills in the province of Benevento, approximately halfway between Naples and Campobasso. Geography Pontelandolfo is located on a mountainous area of Italy. The area that surrounds Po ...

Santa Croce del Sannio Santa Croce del Sannio is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Benevento in the Italian region Campania, located about 70 km northeast of Naples and about 30 km north of Benevento. Santa Croce del Sannio borders the follow ...

, Sassinoro,

Sepino Sepino is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Campobasso in the Italian region Molise, located about south of Campobasso. The archaeological site of Saepinum is located nearby. Sepino borders the following municipalities: Cercemaggi ...

Geography

Morcone is reachable by train from

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 ...

. By car, it is reachable from the SS 87 state road (Sannitica) that connects

in Campobasso. The nearest airport is Naples. The town is perched in the Matese mountains, on the steep slopes of Mount Mucre, overlooking the valley of the Tammaro River. The etymology of the name comes from Mount Mucre, which has evolved and later becoming Mucrone and then Morcone.

History

Modern Morcone was founded upon an old Samnite settlement, most likely the village of "Mucre". Remains of the village still exist today, including a fortified polygonal enclosure (dating from the fifth or sixth century BC) which was later used as foundation for castle walls. The town was mentioned for the first time in 776 AD when it was the seat of a Lombard

gastald A gastald (Latin ''gastaldus'' or ''castaldus''; Italian ''gastaldo'' or ''guastaldo'') was a Lombard official in charge of some portion of the royal demesne (a gastaldate, ''gastaldia'' or ''castaldia'') with civil, martial, and judicial powers ...

. From 1058 to 1122, Morcone served as a diocese of the Catholic church. In 1122 appeared the first mention of the castle where Count Giordano of Ariano took refuge after defeat by the Norman. Under

Roger II of Sicily Roger II ( it, Ruggero II; 22 December 1095 – 26 February 1154) was King of Sicily and Africa, son of Roger I of Sicily and successor to his brother Simon. He began his rule as Count of Sicily in 1105, became Duke of Apulia and Calabria i ...

, Morcone became royal property and was equipped with municipal statutes conferred by Margaret of Durazzo. After the abolition of feudalism in 1806, the fiefs of Gaetani, Carafa, D'Aponte and Baglioni became part of the Contando of Molise and, in 1861, the

province of Benevento The Province of Benevento ( it, Provincia di Benevento) is a province in the Campania region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Benevento. Geography The province has an area of 2,071 km2, and, , a total population of 279,308. There are 78 ...

Main sights

Town center

The historic center of Morcone is spread out like a fan across a hill, with the castle remains at the summit. There are many narrow, winding streets and steps between the houses in the town. The earthquake of 1980 damaged many urban buildings. The church of Saint Marc and town hall were subsequently renovated, bringing more modern architectural styles to the town. The San Marco gate is the only city gate that remains today.

Castle and Samnite ruins

The castle sits at the summit of the town hilltop, strategically dominating the surrounding landscape. The castle was probably built in the tenth century, although the first documented references date back to 1122. The ruins of the castle, mostly consisting of sections of perimeter walls, show that it had been built upon a Sunnite settlement. The foundation is made of polygonal stone blocks, a feature common to all Samnite fortified structures. The entrance to the fortress, consisting of a portal with a pointed arch, still remains today.

Other sights

*Walls of the Samnite era (4th century BC)

Twin towns

* Penela,

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, In recognized minority languages of Portugal: :* mwl, República Pertuesa is a country located on the Iberian Peninsula, in Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Macaronesian ...

References

Sources

External links

Official website

Morcone tourism office website
{{authority control Cities and towns in Campania Castles in Italy