Paciano: Medieval Streets and Cultural Landscape

Paciano Among Olive Groves and Panoramic Views

Paciano lies among olive groves on the slopes of Monte Petrarvella. From here, views extend towards Lake Trasimeno, Valdichiana and Monte Amiata. The town therefore combines a clearly defined landscape setting with a historic townscape. The combination of the town’s established structures and the hilly, wooded landscape shapes Paciano within a compact area.

The project “I sentieri del Perugino nelle terre del Marchese” is based on a hilly, wooded landscape. This landscape extends from Città della Pieve through Paciano, Panicale and Piegaro. Paciano lies within an area characterised by hills and woodland. For Paciano, this combines its location within the wider landscape with its established town structure.

Historic Centre with a Medieval Structure

The historic centre of Paciano has largely preserved its medieval urban structure. Three parallel streets are connected by lanes running at right angles. This layout shapes orientation in the town centre and reveals the town’s urban development through its ground plan, without reducing the town to individual buildings. The historic centre can be accessed through the Porta Fiorentina, Porta Perugina and Porta Rastrella.

In the town centre, streets, lanes and town gates form a coherent medieval fabric. The three Portas mark the entrances to the historic centre, while the parallel streets and connecting lanes preserve its medieval layout.

Art and Ecclesiastical Heritage

Specific art and cultural sites include the Church of Madonna della Stella, built in 1572. The Pinacoteca houses a monumental fresco of the Crucifixion, painted by Francesco da Castel della Pieve in 1452. The Church of San Giuseppe contains 15th-century votive frescoes in the nave; two of these frescoes bear the dates 1444 and 1449.

Local Knowledge and Craftsmanship

The Museo Don Aldo Rossi is the Paciano section of the decentralised museum system of the Archdiocese of Perugia–Città della Pieve. TrasiMemo focuses on a different area: the museum documents local knowledge relating to handicraft, agricultural and enogastronomic work, as well as the associated cultural processes and practices. TrasiMemo is also a museum with workshops and events focusing on wood, iron and metals, textiles, and terracotta from the Trasimeno area. The museum’s scope thus ranges from historical art to traditional working methods and materials from the Trasimeno area.

Paths Through the Hilly Landscape

“I sentieri del Perugino nelle terre del Marchese” is a route approximately 100 kilometres long, divided into five stages of around 20 kilometres each. One hiking route begins in Paciano and leads uphill towards Monte Petrarvella and Pausillo. The ascent leads from Paciano into the adjacent hilly landscape.

Further destinations for your own orientation: Pila, Colle Calzolaro, Cenerente, Castiglione del Lago, Montepennino, Marsciano, Grotti, Foligno

For the broader travel overview: Perugia.