Standing on the right bank of the riverSecchia some 17 kilometres (11 mi) southwest ofModena, the town is best known for being the centre of the Italian tile industry[4] and for being the home town ofSerie B sideU.S. Sassuolo Calcio.
The exact origin of the toponymSassuolo is unclear. One theory is that it might derive from the abundant deposits of petroleum found in the area. This is because petroleum was anciently known as "stone oil" or "olio di sasso" in Italian, from which the composite word Sassuolo (sasso + olio) may have been created.
Another hypothesis is that the name derives from the Latin wordssaxum solum meaning "rocky soil". This last theory seems to have inspired both the coat of arms and the town's motto -sic ex murice gemmae - which is Latin for "thus from the rock, buds".[5]
The territory was inhabited in ancient times by the pile-dwellingterramare civilization, then by an Eastern Ligurian tribe - theFriniates - during the Iron Age. The CeltBoii then settled this land around 400 BC, overlapping with the Friniates. The Boii were the most powerful and numerous Celtic tribe of Northern Italy, orCisalpine Gaul, which they fiercely defended from theRomans.
Although the archeological evidence is scarce, it is hypothesized that a Romancastrum may have been built in the area because of its strategic position.
The first historical mention of the current settlement dates back to 980. In 1039 the town became part of the domains ofBoniface of Canossa and was thus inherited by his daughterMatilda in 1076. In 1078, the consuls of Sassuolo swore loyalty to thecommune ofModena. When Matilda died in 1115, the town became independent both fromTuscany and Modena.
In 1373, the city was given to theEste family at the request of the citizens themselves, in exchange for the right to extract water from the riverSecchia. The town was then ruled by the Este family until 1499, when it became the capital of the homonymoussignoria ruled by thehouse of Pio. In 1599 the signoria was directly annexed to theDuchy of Modena and Reggio of which it remained a possession until theItalian Unification.[6]
From 1861 onwards, Sassuolo grew both in size and population.
During the Second World War, immediately after theArmistice of Cassibile was made public on 8 September 1943, Sassuolo was swiftly occupied by German troops. The occupation was met with strong resistance from the civilian population, until the town was liberated on 23 April 1945 (Saint George's Day) by theBrazilian Expeditionary Force.
The industrial growth of Sassuolo began in the 1950s. Eighty percent of all Italianceramic tiles are produced here, with more than 300 ceramic factories operating in the Sassuolo district (as Marazzi Group, Refin and Marca Corona,). The city is currently the centre of Italiantile industry and one of the most important tile producers in the world.[9]
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