Known as Sasso Bolognese until 1938, it is named after Guglielmo Marconi, the radio pioneer, who was born in the nearby city of Bologna. His villa now contains the Marconi Museum and Mausoleum. The name Sasso ("rock") derives from the Pliocenic rock formation called Sasso della Glosina that commands the confluence of the Setta and Reno rivers.