Polenaco

Polenaco is a tiny hilltop village nestled among the mountains and forests of the Serra Valley.

This centre was formed during the 14th century around the pre-existing church of Sant'Apollinare, to the extent that the previous toponym was Appolinaco, corresponding to Villa Sancti Apollinaris in medieval documents. Like the other neighbouring centres, it was part of the Arnolfe Lands, an extensive feud that passed to the Papal State in 1093. The revenue register of the Apostolic Chamber records that in 1332, Polenaco contributed by paying "hearth" tax for 24 hearths and had approximately 120 inhabitants, a number that would decrease over the following centuries, contributing to the transformation of the settlement into a rural settlement.

From the medieval period, the church remained, albeit significantly modified. The original 13th-14th century structure of Sant'Apollinare had a barrel-vault roof that was replaced with a truss roof in the second half of the 18th century, while retaining the semicircular shape of the apse inside and polygonal shape outside. Fragments of paintings on the interior walls are still visible.