The Origins of the Castle
In 1192, the Patriarchs had a fortress built here for defence purposes and since then the name “castle” was to be for centuries linked to the site of this early fortalice.
Since then, many historic events have occurred and the structure has been expanded numerous times. In the nineteenth century, the tower became a Po Valley-style small castle with rich interior and exterior details. The most recent renovation, in a splendid and unique English Gothic Revival style, was carried out by the Papadopoli Counts in 1888. When Commander Giovanni Giol purchased the entire property in 1919, he decided not to change the architecture, preferring to preserve the original appearance as much as possible.
The garden
In the heart of the ancient fiefdom of San Polo lies a small corner of paradise: 13 hectares of fields, woodlands and a spring water lake reflecting the Castle and two islands. The lake teems with European perch, largemouth bass, tench, rudd, carp, chub and eel. This area of outstanding natural beauty boasts an array of magnificent secular trees: beech, maple, oak, cedar, magnolia, holm oak and ginkgo biloba.
From woodpeckers to squirrels
It is an unspoilt oasis, one of the last remaining.
A small corner of paradise where the fragile balance of nature provides the perfect habitat for heron, mallard, common moorhen, pheasant, squirrel, magpie, jay, several varieties of woodpecker including the great spotted woodpecker and the green woodpecker plus common wood pigeon, chaffinch, song thrush, European robin, greenfinch, goldfinch, black-crowned night heron and other migratory species that come here to rest.
Spring water in the winery
The old winery is set against a backdrop of age-old wisteria and lime trees alongside a gurgling spring that teems with trout and freshwater prawns. Freshwater prawns have been found here since time immemorial and since they are known to favour clean, unpolluted watercourses, they are a good ecological indicator of the state of the water. Here in San Polo the frescoes of the Last Supper that can be admired in the old Church of San Giorgio (1491) depict the apostles eating freshwater prawns and drinking red wine, two typical specialties of this area that are still enjoyed today.