Frosolone 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 Isernia The province of Isernia () is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Molise region of Italy. The provincial capital is the city Isernia and the president of the province is Alfredo Ricci. The province of Isernia has an area of and a population o ...

in the

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

region

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 ...

, located about west of

Campobasso Campobasso (, ; ) 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 Sannio and Matese mountains. Campobas ...

and about east of

Isernia Isernia () is a town and ''comune'' in the southern Italian region of Molise, and the capital of the province of Isernia. Geography Situated on a rocky crest rising from between the Carpino and the Sordo rivers, the plan of Isernia still refl ...

. It is one of

I Borghi più belli d'Italia () is a non-profit private association of small Italian towns of strong historical and artistic interest, that was founded in March 2001 on the initiative of the Tourism Council of the National Association of Italian Municipalities, with the a ...

("The most beautiful villages of Italy"). Frosolone is known historically for the production of blades, including

knives A knife (: knives; from Old Norse 'knife, dirk') is a tool or weapon with a cutting edge or blade, usually attached to a handle or hilt. One of the earliest tools used by humanity, knives appeared at least 2.5 million years ago, as evidenced ...

and

scissors Scissors are hand-operated shearing tools. A pair of scissors consists of a pair of blades pivoted so that the sharpened edges slide against each other when the handles (bows) opposite to the pivot are closed. Scissors are used for cutting var ...

, and is home to a museum dedicated to the craft.

Geography

Frosolone borders the following municipalities:

Carpinone Carpinone is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Isernia in the Italian region Molise, located about west of Campobasso and about east of Isernia. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,273 and an area of .All demographics an ...

Casalciprano Casalciprano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Campobasso in the Italian region Molise, located about west of Campobasso. Casalciprano borders the following municipalities: Busso, Castropignano Castropignano is a ''comune'' (mun ...

Civitanova del Sannio Civitanova del Sannio is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Isernia in the Italian region Molise, located about northwest of Campobasso and about northeast of Isernia. Geography Civitanova del Sannio borders the following municipalit ...

Duronia Duronia is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Campobasso in the Italian region Molise, located about northwest of Campobasso. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 473 and an area of .All demographics and other statistics: Ita ...

Macchiagodena Macchiagodena () is a town and in the province of Isernia, located high in the Apennine mountains in the region of Molise, southern Italy. History The present name of the city appeared for the first time in a document of the year 964 CE as ''M ...

Sant'Elena Sannita Sant'Elena Sannita is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Isernia in the Italian region Molise, located about west of Campobasso and about east of Isernia.The settlement was formerly inhabited by an Arbëreshë community, who have sinc ...

Sessano del Molise Sessano del Molise is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Isernia in the Italian region Molise, located about northwest of Campobasso and about northeast of Isernia. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 871 and an area of .Al ...

Torella del Sannio Torella del Sannio is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Campobasso (Molise, Italy). History The village is believed to have been founded around 800 BC and hosts a monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the ...

History

The region surrounding Frosolone was inhabited by members of the Sanniti and

Osci The Osci (also called Oscans, Opici, Opsci, Obsci, Opicans) were an Italic people of Campania and Latium adiectum before and during Roman times. They spoke the Oscan language, also spoken by the Samnites of Southern Italy. Although the langua ...

Italic tribes, which were conquered by the Romans during the

Samnite Wars The First, Second, and Third Samnite Wars (343–341 BC, 326–304 BC, and 298–290 BC) were fought between the Roman Republic and the Samnites, who lived on a stretch of the Apennine Mountains south of Rome and north of the Lucanian tribe. ...

. There are remnants of

cyclopean Cyclopean masonry is a type of masonry, stonework found in Mycenaean Greece, Mycenaean architecture, built with massive limestone boulders, roughly fitted together with minimal Engineering tolerance, clearance between adjacent stones and with clay ...

walls built by the

Samnites The Samnites () were an ancient Italic peoples, Italic people who lived in Samnium, which is located in modern inland Abruzzo, Molise, and Campania in south-central Italy. An Oscan language, Oscan-speaking Osci, people, who originated as an offsh ...

, locally called "Civitelle." As the name implies, they were likely part of a small fortress destroyed by the Roman Army probably in 293 BC; the historian

Livy Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditional founding i ...

describes in this area the march of two Roman armies, headed by

Spurius Carvilius Maximus Spurius Carvilius C. f. C. n., later surnamed Maximus, was the first member of the plebeian ''gens Carvilia'' to obtain the consulship, which he held in 293 BC, and again in 272 BC. Early career Born of equestrian rank, Carvilius served as curul ...

and

Lucius Papirius Cursor Lucius Papirius Cursor (c.365–after 310 BC) was a celebrated politician and general of the early Roman Republic, who was five times consul, three times magister equitum, and twice Roman dictator, dictator. He was the most important Roman command ...

. The first mention of the town's name is in a "diploma" dated 1064, by the Count of Isernia. The church of Santa Maria Assunta is of medieval origin. Its construction was completed probably in 1309, when it was cited for the first time in a notarial deed. On December 5, 1456, the church was totally destroyed by the

1456 Central Italy earthquakes On December 5, 1456, the largest earthquake to occur on the Italian Peninsula in historical times struck the Kingdom of Naples. The earthquake had an estimated moment magnitude of 7.19–7.4, and was centred near the town of Pontelandolfo in ...

which had an epicenter in Frosolone. Reconstruction work ended in 1531, when it was consecrated. Frosolone was victim to another earthquake on July 26, 1805, which destroyed most of the buildings in town and killed 518 people. In 1860, Frosolone was officially annexed by the Kingdom of Italy. In 1864 the Post Office was opened; in 1866 a kerosene public lighting system was installed at the then-large outlay of 4,000

lira Lira is the name of several currency units. It is the current Turkish lira, currency of Turkey and also the local name of the Lebanese pound, currencies of Lebanon and of Syrian pound, Syria. It is also the name of several former currencies, ...

Notable people

Dominic DeNucci Domenico A. Nucciarone (January 23, 1932 – August 12, 2021) was an Italian-American professional wrestler and trainer better known by the ring name Dominic DeNucci. He held over a dozen championships around the world in the 1960s and 1970s. H ...

, professional wrestler

References

Cities and towns in Molise Borghi più belli d'Italia {{Molise-geo-stub