Civitacampomarano, Italy: travel guide to the Molise castle and street-art village

Civitacampomarano is a small village in the province of Campobasso, in Molise, set on a sandstone spur above the Biferno valley about 36 kilometres north of Campobasso. Home to only around 520 people, this once near-abandoned borgo has been reborn as one of Italy's most striking open-air galleries of street art, watched over by a dramatic medieval castle.

For travellers searching for Civitacampomarano, the Angevin castle, the CVTà Street Fest or street art in Molise, it offers a memorable blend of history and contemporary art.

Castle and history

The village is dominated by its Angevin Castle, built in the 13th century with two characteristic round towers, which rises over the oldest part of the town and has been restored and opened to visitors. Civitacampomarano was the birthplace of the Enlightenment writer and historian Vincenzo Cuoco, whose house stands near the castle, and it preserves old churches and a clock tower along its steep lanes.

The CVTà Street Fest

Faced with depopulation, the village found new life through the CVTà Street Fest, an international street-art festival begun in 2016 under the direction of the artist Alice Pasquini. Each summer artists from around the world paint murals on the walls, doors and abandoned houses of the historic centre, turning Civitacampomarano into a free open-air museum that draws thousands of visitors and has made it known as the capital of street art in Molise.

Practical information

Civitacampomarano lies about 36 kilometres north of Campobasso, amid the olive-covered hills of inland Molise, and is best reached by car, with the Adriatic coast at Termoli within easy driving distance.