A sea-port from the dawn of Mediterranean trade. The Old Town is confined to its jutting promontory, the New Town is a flourishing resort and ferry port, sprawling along a rather featureless coast. Government aid to Molise, notably the roads programme, has enabled Termoli to expand. The industrial estate has a Fiat factory and a sugar refinery and the fish market is becoming one of busiest on the Adriatic. The cathedral is aggressively Romanesque, the Swabian castle (1247) a daunting piece of architecture with sheer sides, corner towers and high square keep.

Campomarina Lido, 5 km southeast, has camping and caravan parks and offers seaside fun and games. Campomarina town, embosomed in olive groves on a hill, originated with 15thC Albanian refugees and you still hear something like medieval Albanian spoken.