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San Polo dei Cavalieri

San Polo is a small hilltop town which lies at a height of 650 m. on the edge of the Parco Naturale Regionale dei Monti Lucretili. The town has a year round population of 2,000 people which more then doubles at the height of summer.  It offers all the services of a small town: bars and shops, a bank and Post Office, restaurants, a chemist’s, gelaterie, pizzerie, an antique shop and more. The most characteristic area is the old medieval centre, where you can explore narrow streets, tiny squares and find at its heart the imposing rocca medievale  or castle. 

The nearest large town is Tivoli which is 14 km. away. As well being a bustling commercial and social centre in it’s own right Tivoli boasts some of the most important historical sites on a world level. In the town itself we find the Villa Gregoriana, a natural wonderland of water and stone, and the Villa d’Este – pronounced the most beautiful garden in Europe. Hadrian’s Villa, judged to be the largest archeological site in the world lies just outside Tivoli. Though these are the Big 3 there are many more hidden treasures in the area waiting to be discovered.

Historical Background

The ancient town of Castrum Sancti Pauli was founded in the 11th century by the monks of San Polo. In the 14th century Pope Boniface IX gave the town to the Orsini family in recognition of their service to the church. Subsequently the Orsini completed the castle fortifications and made it a safe haven for cardinals fleeing Rome. In 1558 the castle and its lands were sold to the Cesi family. It was here in 1603 that Federico Cesi established the Accademia dei Lincei, with Galileo Galilei amongst its members. Some years later the population of San Polo was reduced to 377 souls as the plague raged through the countryside. After the Cesi, San Polo passed to the Borghese family and it was at this time that ‘dei Cavalieri’ was added to the name, perhaps because knights of St. John passed that way. The castle still stands intact but after the Borghese, was sold into private hands though it is sometimes opened for public functions and can be visited on these occasions.