The territory of Solofra was
part of Samnite region, as the discovery of an ancient Samnite
necropolis testifies. According an important theory, the name
comes from Italic terms that had the meaning of “salubre”,
that is healthy. In the area called passo di Castelluccia
there are the remains of an ancient Samnite fortress. Romans
occupied these territories and in fact there are the remains
of several rural houses, that is farms given to veterans that
had two tasks: they had to cultivate the lands and also to
protect them. The fortress of Castelluccia was used by Romans.
With the fall of the Roman Empire, Solofra lived a difficult
period because it was sacked by Totila and it underwent the
consequences of the Greek-Gothic war. During Longobard period,
Solofra was part of the dukedom of Benevento and when the
dukedom was split in two, it passed to the princedom of Salerno.
During this period, tanning became very important: Solofra
worked for Salerno and Amalfi. During Norman – Svevian
period, the road the went through Solofra lost its importance
and the territory became poorer. During the age of Angevins,
Solofra prospered thanks to the clever rule by Filippo Filangieri.
During Aragon period, handicraft and commerce developed. XVII
century was a period of decline for Italy because commerce
had moved from Mediterranean Sea to America and there were
many plagues. Also Solofra lived these difficult years. Several
famous inhabitants from Solofra participated to the Parthenopean
Revolution of 1799 and to the risings of 1800.