Solofra

{{Infobox Italian comune

| name = Solofra

| official_name = Comune di Solofra

| native_name =

| image_skyline = collegiatasanmichele.jpg

| imagesize =

| image_alt =

| image_caption = Interior of Collegiata

| image_shield = Solofra-Stemma.svg

| shield_alt =

| image_map =

| map_alt =

| map_caption =

| pushpin_label_position =

| pushpin_map_alt =

| coordinates = {{coord|40|50|N|14|51|E|region:IT_type:city(11967)|display=inline,title}}

| coordinates_footnotes =

| region = {{RegioneIT|sigla=CAM}}

| province = {{ProvinciaIT (short form)|sigla=AV}} (AV)

| frazioni = Sant'Agata Irpina, Sant'Andrea Apostolo

| mayor_party =

| mayor = Nicola Moretti{{cite web |url=https://www.avellinotoday.it/politica/elezioni/elezioni-a-solofra-e-il-nuovo-sindaco.html |title=Elezioni a Solofra, Moretti si aggiudica la sfida all'ultimo voto |trans-title=Elections in Solofra, Moretti wins the challenge in the last vote |lang=it |date=18 September 2023 |website=Avellino Today}}

| area_footnotes =

| area_total_km2 = 21

| population_footnotes = {{in lang|it}} [http://demo.istat.it/bil2010/index.html Source]: Istat 2010

| population_total = 12500

| population_as_of = 31 July 1015

| pop_density_footnotes =

| population_demonym = Solofrani

| elevation_footnotes =

| elevation_m = 384

| twin1 =

| twin1_country =

| saint = St. Michael the Archangel

| day = 29 September

| postal_code = 83029

| area_code = 0825

| website = {{official website|http://www.comune.solofra.av.it}}

| footnotes =

}}

Solofra (Solofrano: {{lang|nap|Sulofra}}, {{IPA|nap|suˈloːfrə|IPA}}) is a town and comune in the province of Avellino, in the Campania region of Southern Italy.

Geography

The town is bordered by Aiello del Sabato, Calvanico (SA), Contrada, Montoro Superiore and Serino. Its frazioni are the villages of Sant'Agata Irpina and Sant'Andrea Apostolo.

Main sights

The Collegiata di San Michele Arcangelo was built in the 16th-17th centuries.,{{Cite web |title=La Collegiata di S. Michele Arcangelo |trans-title=The Collegiate Church of S. Michael the Archangel |language=it |url=http://www.solofrastorica.it/collegiatatutto.htm |access-date=2022-11-11 |website=www.solofrastorica.it}} and has rich interior decoration with canvases by the Guarino family, and an altarpiece of Giovanni Battista Lama.

Economy

Solofra is known as one of Italy's main centre for the tanning of leather. Another activity present is chestnut cultivation, although for about a decade this has suffered a sharp drop in production due to the Gall wasp that now afflicts most of the chestnut groves in Italy.

=Solofra Tanning District=

File:Monumento Il Conciatore Solofra.jpg

The tanning district of Solofra extends over a territory of about 60 km², in the southwestern area of the province of Avellino. In addition to Solofra in includes the municipalities of Montoro and Serino, for a total of 35,000 inhabitants. This area is specialized, from a production point of view, in the tanning of sheep and goat hides, for a total of about 400 companies operating in the sector including tanneries, subcontractors and packaging manufacturers, 4,000 - 4,500 employees and an average annual turnover of 1,500 million euros.{{cite web |url=http://www.clubdistretti.it/Distretti/Distretti-profili/Solofra.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040205114353/http://www.clubdistretti.it/Distretti/Distretti-profili/Solofra.htm |archive-date=5 February 2004 |title=Distretti Industriali Italiani |lang=it}}

In the early 1980s, to find out about the methods of processing leathers, Osama bin Laden came to the city, who had long imported leather from Irpinia for his businesses in Afghanistan and Pakistan.{{cite news |url=https://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/2001/10/19/bin-laden-affari-anche-solofra.html |title=Bin Laden, affari anche a Solofra |trans-title=Bin Laden, business also in Solofra |date=19 October 2001 |newspaper=La Repubblica}}

The leathers on the iconic red vest worn by Michael Jackson in the 1982 music video for Thriller were manufactured in a Solofra tannery.{{cite news |url=https://www.irpinianews.it/il-mito-di-michael-jackson-rivive-venezia-era-irpino-il-giubbotto-di-thriller/ |title=Il mito di Michael Jackson rivive a Venezia: era “irpino” il giubbotto di Thriller |lang=it |first=Pasquale |last=Manganiello |date=5 September 2017 |newspaper=Irpinia News}}

References

External links

{{in lang|it}} [http://www.comune.solofra.av.it Official website]
{{in lang|it}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20061205081724/http://www.polizialocalesolofra.it/ Local Police of Solofra]
{{in lang|it}} [http://www.solofrastorica.it Historical site about Solofra]

Category:Cities and towns in Campania