Borgofranco used to be the old toponym of Suardi, until 1863. It was built in medieval times according to a plan: the size of a miniature town, with streets at right angles and surrounded by a ditch. It was destroyed in 1800 by a flood of the Po and was later rebuilt around the old monastery of St. Mary of Graces (Santa Maria delle Grazie), near the hamlet of Santa Maria of Suardi, hence its recent name.