Alfano is a village and small ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' in the

province of Salerno The Province of Salerno ( it, Provincia di Salerno) is a province in the Campania region of Italy. __TOC__ Geography The largest towns in the province are: Salerno, the capital, which has a population of 131,950; Cava de' Tirreni, Battipagli ...

in the

Campania Campania (, also , , , ) is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islands and the i ...

region of south-western

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. As of December 31, 2012, the comune had a population of 1082.

History

There is little reliable evidence on the ancient history of Alfano. However, according to tradition, a large city existed on the slopes of Mount Centaurino, near the present frazione of Roccagloriosa. This would have been destroyed in a catastrophic earthquake, if it had existed. In 1496 the town was given to the Neapolitan noble

Giovanni Carafa, Duke of Paliano Giovanni Carafa (died 5 March 1561), Duke of Paliano, was a papal nephew and minor Italian prince. The son of Giovanni Alfonso Carafa, Count of Montorio, and Caterina Cantelma, Giovanni came to prominence along with his brothers Carlo and An ...

Geography

Alfano has borders with the municipalities of

Laurito Laurito is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno Campania, southern Italy, about 200 km south of Napoli. See also *Cilento Cilento is an Italian geographical region of Campania in the central and southern part of the Provi ...

Roccagloriosa Roccagloriosa ( Cilentan: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. The town is located in southern Cilento. It borders with Alfano, Camerota, Celle di Bulgheria, Laurito, Rofrano, Sa ...

and

Rofrano Rofrano ( Cilentan: ) is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-west Italy. It is located in the southern Cilento. In 2015 its population was 1,539. History The village was first settled between 3rd and ...

Main sights

The main church in Alfano is the Church of Saint Nicholas. The baronial Novelli Palace dates back to the 18th century. It has a grand entrance of stone, leading to a hall. For some time, Novelli Palace served as the Town Hall of Alfano. Palazzo dei Baroni Speranza, another palace, belonged to the Baron Speranza di Laurito. This palace, a large building complex elevated above the town, contains a central courtyard.

Economy

The commune is a renowned producer of wine, despite the soils being amongst the poorest in the country due to the harsh, dry climate of the territory. Local grape varieties were introduced to Elea and

Paestum Paestum ( , , ) was a major ancient Greek city on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea in Magna Graecia (southern Italy). The ruins of Paestum are famous for their three ancient Greek temples in the Doric order, dating from about 550 to 450 BC, whic ...

by ancient Greek colonists and adapted to grow in clay-calcareous soils and the climate of the area. The ''Cilento'' brand of wine was established on May 3, 1989, and is produced in three varieties. Paying homage the Ancient Greek colonists in Paestum and the viniculture experienced there, on November 22, 1995, the brand of wine ''Paestum'' went into production.

References

External links

Official site
{{authority control Cities and towns in Campania Localities of Cilento