San Polo d’Enza is located in the Matildic area southwest of Reggio Emilia.
San Polo d'Enza is an important communication centre between the Reggio Emilia and Parma areas and between the plain and the Apennines; its name derives partly from St. Polo, to whom a chapel was dedicated, and partly from the Enza, the river touching the municipality’s borders.
It was inhabited in ancient times, as showed by the important Etruscan settlement of Servirola (around 1 km north of today’s inhabited area) and it is assumed that the town was established by the Etruscans maybe in the V century b.C. The ancient name of San Polo, "Plebs de Caviliano", was first mentioned in a certificate of Emperor Ottone II dated October 14, 980. In 1070 it passed from the Church of Reggio Emilia to the dominion of Marquis Bonifacio di Canossa, then in the subsequent centuries to the Visconti and Este families and, in the XVII century, to the Gherardini family.
The ancient restored castle, that hosts the Town Hall with a medieval entrance into the village, is a perfect example of the very ancient history of San Polo d’Enza.
In the partly-walled village are the Fallen Giant, modern tribute to the Resistance, and the parish church. On a hill towards Quattro Castella stands the Montefalcone convent, now under restoration, and, in the north of the village, the ancient Caviano parish church.
In the hill area of San Polo d’Enza towards Canossa is the Grassano village, with its traditional stone-shaped houses.
The ancient Fortress, built in the XI century, derives from the transformation of the castle into a noble residence; it now hosts the municipal offices and the Museum of the Resistance. Through a medieval entrance to the town centre, it is a spectacular example of the ancient history of the town built around it, on the banks of the Enza river.
The former Franciscan convent Montefalcone, now unfortunately abandoned, stands on a hill towards Quattro Castella and, north of the town, the ancient parish Church of Caviano.
Worth mentioning in the hillside of the town, on the road to Canossa, is the hamlet of Grassano, with traditional stone houses.
