What to see in Solofra, a town located in the Campania region in the province of Avellino and famous for its leather processing, an itinerary including the Collegiate Church of San Michele, the Church of San Giuliano, the Doge's Palace and the Castle.
Tourist information
The municipal area, located at an average altitude of 400 meters, develops in a basin of the Piacentini Mountains, of which the greatest peak is Pizzo San Michele.
The first human settlements in the area date back to prehistory, in later times the Samnites founded a necropolis on the hill of Starza.
After the construction of the consular road that led from Salerno to Avellino, the Romans built some rustic villas, which helped to transform the place into an agricultural center dedicated to sheep farming.
Among the main monuments and places to visit are the Collegiate Church of San Michele Arcangelo, dating back to the sixteenth century and built to replace the previous church of the Angel.
Inside the church are preserved the paintings of Francesco Guarini, executed between 1637 and 1642.
On the ceiling of the central nave there are paintings by Giovantommaso Guarini, father of Francesco, depicting scenes from the old testament.
The Church of San Giuliano, which is located in the center of the Fratta farmhouse on the square of the same name, dates back to the fourteenth century.
Restored several times between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries, it has a simple facade, with a large portal and upper lunette, with a basilica plan interior and a main altar from 1785.
What see
The sixteenth-century Ducal Palace, built by the Orsini family, has a beautiful stone access portal and a square-shaped courtyard.
Inside you can see paintings depicting the various palaces owned by the family, as well as various views of the city of Gravina in Puglia.
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In front of Palazzo Ducale is the Fontana dei Quattro Leoni which, made of local travertine in the eighteenth century, includes a large square basin resting on three steps that surround it.
At the corners of the monument there are four lions, who look outwards sitting on a stone base, with a small circular tank placed at their legs, which collects the water that comes out of the jaws of the big cats.
In the central part of the tank there is a square stele with sides including the Solofra coat of arms, consisting of a radiant sun, carved on it.
At the top of the stele dominate four dolphins, from whose mouth more water comes out which falls into a round tank in the shape of a shell held up by their tails.
The Castle of Solofra, which is perched on a hill at the foot of Mount Pergola, was part of an important defensive complex, including also the rocky outcrop of Castelluccia and the castle of Serino, placed in a strategic position to control the Saturday valley .
