Oratino

Oratino is a village in the province of Campobasso, Molise, perched on a scenic cliff, known as a village of stonemasons. Its origins go back to the Bronze Age, with archaeological finds including a necropolis and remains of megalithic walls in the La Rocca area; the settlement was called Laretinum around 1100, later Retino and Laratino, before becoming Oratino. Under the patronage of the Giordano Dukes, generations of local stonemasons, blacksmiths, gilders, glaziers, and painters produced finely carved portals, balconies, and balustrades that still decorate the historic center's aristocratic houses and churches — an 18th-century historian described the town as "a place where many arts in perfect taste are cultivated." No other town in Molise has such a concentration of historic artisans; many trained in the Neapolitan school and left work as far afield as Capitanata, the Beneventano area, and Abruzzo.

• The historic center's carved stone portals and balconies — the work of generations of local stonemasons, visible throughout the old town.

Campobasso, the provincial capital, is the nearest larger town in the area.