town and episcopal see, Campania regione, southern Italy, in the Sarno River valley, northwest of Salerno. It originated as the Oscan and Roman town of Nuceria Alfaterna, which was sacked by the Carthaginian general Hannibal in 216 BC but was rebuilt by the emperor Augustus. In the old castle, ruins of which are extant, Helen, widow of King Manfred of Sicily, died in captivity (1271) five years after Manfred's death in the Battle of Benevento. The origin of the epithet dei Pagani (“of the Pagans”) is not historically established and is sometimes attributed to a nearby medieval settlement of Saracen colonists or to Pagano, the name of an important local medieval family. Although there are several old churches and convents, the town is primarily modern in appearance. In the nearby village of Nocera Superiore is the 5th-century circular domed church of Santa Maria Maggiore.

Nocera Inferiore is economically one of the most important centres in the province because of its agricultural exports, lumber mills, food processing, and textile plants. Pop. (2006 est.) mun., 46,305.