Valva is an Italian town and municipality in the

Province of Salerno The province of Salerno () is a province in the Campania region of Italy. It has 1,054,766 inhabitants as of 2025. Geography The largest towns in the province are: Salerno, the capital, which has a population of 131,950; Cava de' Tirreni, Bat ...

in the south-western

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

Campania Campania is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy located in Southern 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 Islan ...

Geography

It borders with the communes of

Calabritto Calabritto (Irpino: ) is an Italian town and a commune in the province of Avellino, Campania, Italy. It occupies a hilly-mountainous area at the eastern tip of the Monti Picentini range, in the upper Sele valley. Geography Calabritto is a small to ...

( AV),

Caposele Caposele (Irpino: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Avellino, Campania, Italy. The town was seriously damaged by the 1980 Irpinia earthquake. It borders with Calabritto, Bagnoli Irpino, Lioni, Teora, Conza della Campania, Castelnuo ...

(AV),

Colliano Colliano (Campanian: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. The name is likely related to the Italian word, ''collinare'', which means hill top. History Geography The municipality b ...

Laviano Laviano is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of I ...

Oliveto Citra Oliveto Citra (Neapolitan language, Campanian: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. It is located by road northeast of Salerno. As of 2016, the comune had 3,802 inhabitants and cover ...

and Senerchia (AV). It is an agricultural centre of the upper

Sele Sele may refer to: Places Africa *Sele, Burkina Faso, a village in the Ouéleni Department of Burkina Fase. * Sele, Ethiopia, a town in Agbe municipality Asia *Sele, Turkey, a Turkish village in Kailar in Ottoman times *Şələ, Azerbaijan *Seleu ...

valley, located on its left side and at the feet of the steep and rugged slopes of Monte delle Rose (1372 m) and Monte Marzano (1524 m).

History

A flourishing town of the same name was present nearby at the time of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

. During

Barbarian invasions The Migration Period ( 300 to 600 AD), also known as the Barbarian Invasions, was a period in European history marked by large-scale migrations that saw the fall of the Western Roman Empire and subsequent settlement of its former territories ...

the inhabitants built a new settlement, higher up the mountain; the ruins of this town, Valva Vecchia, can still be seen. Later the population returned to the valley and constructed the town in the current location. During the

Norman period The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, French, Flemish, and Breton troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conqu ...

it was called Balba, and was a possession of local lords.

Main sights

Sights include the church of San Giacomo, whose façade has three ornate portals in the late-

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

style.

Economy

The local economy is primarily based on agriculture. Cereals, fodder, olives and vegetables are grown and cattle, pigs and sheep are raised. Forestery and trade in livestock are practised. There is some small-scale production of olive oil, and various types of artisanal activity.

References

External links