population. During the Second World War, immediately after the Armistice of Cassibile was made public on September 8, 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 April 23, 1945, on Saint George's Day, by the Brazilian Expeditionary Force. Geography Located in the central-western area of its province, at the border with Reggio Emilia, Sassuolo borders with the municipalities of Casalgrande (RE), Castellarano (RE), Fiorano Modenese, Formigine, Prignano sulla Secchia and Serramazzoni. It counts the hamlets (frazioni) of Montegibbio, Salvarola Terme and San Michele dei Mucchietti. Main sights The Ducal palace of Sassuolo, designed by architect Bartolomeo Avanzini in 1634. In 1638–56 parts of the interior was frescoed by the French Baroque painter Jean Boulanger. Angelo Michele Colonna, Agostino Mitelli, Baldassare Bianchi and Giovanni Giacomo Monti were also invited by Boulanger to work on the palace decoration. Luca Colombi, Giovanni Lazzoni, Lattanzio Maschio, Guercino, Salvator Rosa, Ludovico Lana also contributed. At ground level is a large pool surrounded by ruins, called il Fontanazzo (broadly "the large fountain"). The church and convent of San Giuseppe. The castle of Montegibbio, originally constructed in 920 and destroyed in 1325 and 1501, only to be then rebuilt in 1636. Economy The industrial growth of Sassuolo began in the 1950s. Eighty percent of all Italian ceramic 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 Italian tile industry and one of the most important tile producers in the world. People Pierangelo Bertoli (1942–2002), singer Andrea Bertolini (born 1973), racing car driver Caterina Caselli (born 1946), singer Fabrizio Giovanardi (born 1966), racing car driver Giuseppe Medici (1907–2000), politician Andrea Montermini (born 1964), racing car driver Leo Morandi (1923–2009), inventor, ceramist Filippo "Nek" Neviani (born 1972), singer-songwriter Graziano Pattuzzi (born 1955), politician Camillo Ruini (born 1931), cardinal Alessandro Conti (born 1980), singer, artist Sport Sassuolo is the home town of Serie A side U.S. Sassuolo Calcio; it also includes the stadium Stadio Enzo Ricci. However, the team no longer play games in the city, having moved first to Stadio Alberto Braglia in Modena which was Sassuolo's temporary home while playing in Serie B from 2008 and subsequently to Reggio Emilia at the renovated Stadio Città del Tricolore (formerly Stadio Giglio) in