Skip to content
ENITSign in

Agnone

The papal bell foundry of the Marinelli family, casting bells in Agnone since 1339, with a museum and guided foundry tour.

  • Agnone
  • District
Plan your visitBuy tickets
Where
Agnone
Best for
Bells for the popes since 1339
Allow
1 hr 30 min
Tickets
From €5
Checked September 2026

Agnone is a hill town in high Molise, and its fame is a family business: the Marinelli have cast bells here since at least 1339, and the papal coat of arms on their work was granted by Pius XI in 1924.

Their bells hang in Montecassino and Pompeii, and the foundry still works largely by medieval methods. The visit is a guided tour of about an hour that runs through a short film, the International Bell Museum and the foundry floor, and it ends with a small concert played on bells of different sizes. Book ahead: this is a working workshop, and it is the reason to make the long drive up.

Four things worth finding

If you see nothing else, see these.

  1. Pontificia Fonderia MarinelliMarinelli family, since at least 1339

    A working foundry where bells for churches across the world are still cast by hand.Historic center

  2. International Bell MuseumMarinelli family

    A museum on bells and bell-making, with pieces from different eras and countries.Next to the foundry

  3. San Marco Evangelista

    The mother church, with Romanesque origins and Venetian Gothic arches.Historic center

  4. Sant’EmidioGiulio Monteverde and Giovanni Duprè (sculptures)

    A fourteenth-century church that keeps sculptures by two prominent nineteenth-century sculptors.Historic center

Plan your visit

Everything you need before you go.

Tickets
From €5
Booking
Book ahead
Time needed
1 hr 30 min
Best time
Book a weekday tour, when the foundry is working
Getting there
Agnone has no train station: it is reached by car on mountain roads from the Adriatic coast around Vasto (SS 86) or from Isernia, or by regional bus. The museum is on Via Felice D’Onofrio, in the old town, and you park at the edge and walk in.
Accessibility
The museum promotes access for all and offers a dedicated tactile route for blind and partially sighted visitors; contact the museum in advance for other needs.

Guided visit only, by reservation: €5 full price, €3.50 for ages 6 to 13, free for under-6s. No photography inside the museum or foundry. Tours in English can be arranged on request. Last updated September 2026. Prices change, so check the official site before you go.

Write or call to book a slot with an English-speaking guide, and ask to see a casting in progress: watching bronze poured is what people remember, not the display cases.

Official website
Get directionsGoogle MapsApple Maps

Before you book

How long should you spend in Agnone?

Allow about an hour and a half: the foundry tour takes about an hour and the town is small. Add time for a walk among the churches and a stop for local cheese.

Is Agnone worth visiting?

Yes, if you like living crafts. It is a remote hill town with a genuinely rare tradition, and a good reason to see Molise.

Do you need to book the Marinelli foundry tour?

Yes. The visit is a guided tour at a working foundry, so book ahead and aim for a weekday when the workshop is active.

More to see nearby

Same city first, then the nearest across the region.

A letter from Italy, once a month.

The places, tables and makers we found worth your time. One email, no noise.

One letter a month. Unsubscribe at any time. We never share your address.

Help us get it right

What is it about?