Gildone
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| Comune di Gildone | |
|---|---|
 Municipal coat of arms |
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| Country |  Italy |
| Region | Molise |
| Province | Campobasso (CB) |
| Elevation | 608 m (1,995 ft) |
| Area | 29 km² (11 sq mi) |
| Population (as of 2001) | |
| - Total | 859 |
| - Density | 30/km² (78/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET, UTC+1 |
| Coordinates | |
| Gentilic | Gildonese (plural: Gildonesi) |
| Dialing code | 0874 |
| Postal code | 86010 |
| Patron | San Sabino |
Gildone is a hill town and commune in the province of Campobasso, in the Molise region (southern Italy). At its peak, the town consisted of 3,000 inhabitants, but the population now numbers about 900. The town is in a rural area surrounded by farms dotted with olive trees and sheep, and is located about 15 minutes southeast of the city of Campobasso.
As part of the wider Italian mass-emigration, many of Gildone's inhabitants left the town in search of economic betterment. The first emigrants left around the turn of the twentieth century and mainly settled in Brooklyn, NY and Cleveland, OH (there is a plaque in Gildone's main church St Sabino, commemorating the financial contribution of the Gildonese émigré community of Cleveland towards the church's restoration in 1923). Following the Second World War, in light of stricter immigration laws into the United States, Gildonesi emigrants sought new lives elsewhere. A vast amount relocated to Montreal, where in fact, the number of Gildonesi and their descendants exceeds the current population of the town itself. The traditions of Gildone continue to survive in the émigré community of Montreal, such as the August pepper feast and anniversary of Santa Maria delle Grazie, which are maintained by the local Associazione Gildonese. Other major Gildonese communities exist in Melbourne, Toronto, Belgium, Buenos Aires, São Paulo and Caracas, with minor communities in Western Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany and Switzerland.
Gildone's main church contains art dating back centuries and one of the other churches in town was converted to a community hall in Spring 2006. Dating further back in time, located near the town are the remains of an ancient Samnite necropolis.
One notable development in the economy of the area is a farm where water buffalo will be raised to produce milk for the production of Mozzarella di Bufala. The facility opened in 2006.
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