Abruzzo · L'Aquila
Pacentro
A medieval village at 650 meters under the Caldora castle towers, where every September a barefoot race honors a Madonna and a pop singer's grandparents.
- Best time
- May–Oct
- By car
- 1 h 9 min from Pescara
- Population
- 1,083
Known for
CASTELLO CALDORA
Fourteenth-century fortress with three surviving towers built by the Caldora-Cantelmo family, restored by the comune after 1957.
CORSA DEGLI ZINGARI
Barefoot race down Monte Ardinghi on the first Sunday of September, documented since the fifteenth century.
MADONNA
Ancestral village of singer Madonna, whose paternal grandparents emigrated to the United States in 1919.
When to visit
Best · May–Oct
- J9°
- F12°
- M12°
- A15°
- M20°
- J26°
- J30°
- A29°
- S24°
- O20°
- N14°
- D10°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Pacentro sits at 650 meters on a hill spur in the Peligna valley, eight kilometers from Sulmona and inside the Maiella National Park. The Castello Caldora, with its three surviving square towers, dominates the village from the Colle Castello above. The site has held a castle since the eleventh century; the structure visible today was begun by the Caldora-Cantelmo family in the late fourteenth century and bought by the comune in 1957 and restored.
On the first Sunday of September, the Corsa degli Zingari sends barefoot runners down a rocky slope from Monte Ardinghi into the village in honor of the Madonna di Loreto. The race is documented since the fifteenth century. The other thing people come for is the Ciccone house.
Madonna's paternal grandparents, Gaetano Ciccone and Michelina Di Iulio, emigrated from Pacentro in 1919. The pop singer visited in 2013.
The Sunday letter
Pacentro is on our list. Its letter is still to come.
We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter every Sunday: the photo, the food, the festa. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Pacentro comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.
Read on
Pacentro in our articles
The 6 best small towns that eat well in the province of L'Aquila6 towns, Pacentro among them.
The 6 prettiest villages with a serious restaurant within 90 minutes of Pescara6 towns, Pacentro among them.
The best hidden towns with a serious restaurant in the province of L'Aquila6 towns, Pacentro among them.
The prettiest small villages that eat well within 90 minutes of Pescara7 towns, Pacentro among them.
How to get there
From Rome (FCO), about 2h 42m by car.
Ancona / Pescara (AOI) is about 2h 44m away.
By car from the centre of Pescara 1h 9m or Ancona 2h 39m.
Coming by train into Pescara Centrale? Pacentro is about 1h 10m away by road.
What to see
Castello Caldora-Cantelmo
Late fourteenth-century fortress on the Colle Castello, three of its four corner towers still standing, restored after 1957.
Borgo medievale
Stone houses arranged on terraces below the castle, listed among the Borghi più belli d'Italia, preserved in its medieval plan.
Chiesa di Santa Maria Maggiore
Sixteenth-century parish church with a baroque interior, holding the Madonna di Loreto honored in the September race.
Monte Ardinghi
Slope above the village from which barefoot runners descend in the Corsa degli Zingari, one of Italy's oldest documented races.
Casa Ciccone
Ancestral home of Madonna's paternal grandparents, who left Pacentro for the United States in 1919, marked with a plaque.
Parco Nazionale della Majella
Pacentro lies inside the park, with trails east toward the Guado di Coccia pass and the Cinquemiglia plain.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where Pacentro fits in a slow Italy circuit.
Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.
We recommend
Where to eat
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
Taverna dei CaldoraRistorante
Taverna dei Caldora carries a Michelin Bib Gourmand, one Gambero Rosso fork (76/100), plus a Slow Food snail.
Living here
- Population 1,083
- Remotei
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Nearest airport Rome, 2 h 42 min drive
- Regional capital L'Aquila, 1 h 26 min drive
Common questions
- What is Pacentro known for?
- Pacentro is a medieval village at 650 meters under the Caldora castle towers, where every September a barefoot race honors a Madonna and a pop singer's grandparents.
- Where is Pacentro?
- Pacentro is a comune in the province of L'Aquila, in Abruzzo.
- What is the nearest airport to Pacentro?
- Rome (FCO), about 2h 42m by car.
- How long is the drive from Pescara to Pacentro?
- About 1h 9m by car.
- When is the best time to visit Pacentro?
- Best in May–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 30 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 13 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Pacentro?
- Pettorano sul Gizio, Introdacqua and Lama dei Peligni.
- How many people live in Pacentro?
- 1,083 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 650 m
- Population: 1,083
- Surface area: 72.59 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
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