CAMPOBASSO  , a

city of Molise, Italy, the capital of the province of Campobasso, 172 M . E.S.E. of Rome by rail, situated 2132 ft. above sea-level . Pop . (1901) town 11,273; commune 14,491 . The town itself contains no buildings of antiquarian interest, but it has some fine modern edifices . Its chief industry is the manufacture of arms and cutlery . Above the town are the picturesque ruins of a castle of the 15th century . The date of the foundation of Campobasso is unknown . The town, with the territory surrounding it, was under the feudal rule of counts until 1739, when it passed to the Neapolitan crown, in consideration of a payment of Io8,000 ducats .