Pacentro

Pacentro has a long history that culminates in the events of the Kingdom of Naples, in the endless disputes of noble feudal families such as the Orsini, the Colonna, the Barberini, to then live the period of decline due to the brigandage and the migratory flow of many villagers in America.

The village is all to be discovered: miniature houses, characteristic narrow streets, buildings attached to each other, very narrow passages connected by small arcades and steep steps, to form a sort of unique labyrinth.

The majestic Caldora Castle, built to protect the town and the valley, dominates the town from above.
The town is gathered around the Piazza del Popolo with the monumental seventeenth-century fountain, once used as a sepulchral urn and the fifteenth-century church of Santa Maria Maggiore or della Misericordia, with the sundial on the portal and the slender bell tower.

A walk through the village allows you to discover other interesting places. I Canaje or the ancient public wash house where women used to go, from every point of the country, carrying on their heads the uaccile features (copper basins).
The Preta tonna, or scandal stone, is a huge sunken stone used as an ancient unit of measurement of grain, on which insolvent debtors were forced to sit naked before passers-by, as a form of public humiliation.

The food and wine proposal reflects the rural and genuine tradition, with a simple cuisine based on beef, sheep and pork, sheep's milk cheeses, and of course extra-virgin olive oil.
Maccheroni alla chitarra with mutton sauce and meatballs, ricotta ravioli, boiled sheep in the “lu cutter”, are just some of the protagonists of the pacentrana cuisine along with the “polta”, a typical dish of the country based on beans, potatoes and cabbage sautéed oil with garlic, oil and chilli and among the events not to be missed, in mid-August there is a festival in honor of this delight: the Polta Festival, ideal for tasting and getting to know Pacentro.

The name Pacentro is also known to be the place of origin of the Ciccone family, from which the pop star Madonna descends.