This document is a Ph.D. dissertation by Marco Sotte on the design, testing, and mathematical modeling of parabolic trough solar collectors, supervised by Giovanni Latini and Massimo Paroncini at Università Politecnica delle Marche. It covers the development of prototypes, testing methodologies, and efficiency modeling for solar collectors, highlighting design characteristics and performance simulation results. The work aims to contribute to the understanding and optimization of solar energy systems in Italy.