Family Origins - Abruzzo

The Abruzzo Region is the transitional area between Italy's north and south. It is straight east of Rome and borders the Adriatic Sea. It was caught in a time warp for many years because of it's mountainous area. It is known for it's beauty and age old life style.
Until 1963 this region also included Molise, When searching for records in this area do so by town because records are kept locally. Those towns which are no longer considered Abruzzo, now located in Molise will have the records from what was originally Abruzzo. So do your homework and save yourself sometime.
When searching for ancestors in this area you will sometimes need to take into consideration the terrain. Because it is such a sparsely populated area the towns tend to be on the smaller side. When writing always do so in Italian, results will be better.
Also consider the fact that this area has been bombed during War and has suffered numerous earth quakes. So some records may not exist. There are always other avenues to explore so if one doesn't work out try another.

ITALY - Region Molise

Molise is the youngest Italian region, since it was established in 1963, when the region "Abruzzi e Molise" was split into two regions, which, however, still today maintain a common identity both geographically and in their historical and traditional heritage. The region is administratively divided into two Provinces, Campobasso, the regional capital, and Isernia, and comprises 136 municipalities, most of them very small, but each unique and worth seeing. Molise is mostly mountainous and the economy, in the past centuries highly dependent on the transit of shepherds and their flocks from Abruzzo to Apulia, still relies heavily on agriculture and livestock raising, though food and garment industries are undergoing a remarkable development.

Reference: Italian World