Paciano and the Monte Pausillo park (PG)

Paciano, situated on the slopes of Monte Petrarvella at 329 metres above sea level, is a perfectly preserved medieval village, surrounded by valuable, olive groves and thick, woodland Its panorama ranges from Lake Trasimeno to the Valdichiana and Monte Amiata,

The urban structure, dating from the 13th century, consists of three parallel streets connected by irregular cross-alleys. The town walls have six towers and three gates: Fiorentina, Perugina and Rastrella. In the Middle Ages, Paciano was a stronghold in defense of the Chiugi territories dominated by Perugia. A tower called "Torre d'Orlando" is all that remains of Paciano Vecchio, the earlier settlement higher up the mountain.

There are numerous churches in Paciano. The Church of San Giuseppe, also known as "di Dentro", contains the banner of the "Madonna of Mercy", painted in the late 15th century by Fiorenzo di Lorenzo. Next door is the Church of San Carlo Borrorneo (16th to 17th centuries) with a wooden "Christ" of the same period. The Church of Santa Maria, overlooking Lake Trasimeno, is located outside the Fiorentina gate. The picturesque Church of the Madonna della Stella, outside the walls, has frescoes from the second half of the 16th century by the Perugia painter Scilla Pecennini.

The Church of San Salvatore in Ceraseto, on the upper road that leads to Panicale, contains a fresco by the 16th‑century painter Giovan Battista Caporali. Noteworthy structures are: the Rocca Buitoni; the Palazzo Cennini with its impressive Renaissance loggias; the Palazzo Baldeschi and its monumental staircases, probably designed by the 16th‑century architect Jacopo Barozzi, known as "Il Vignola".

The San Giuseppe Art Collection. Preserved in the former Confraternity of the Holy Sacrament, where Francesco da Castel della Pieve in 1452 painted a large and expressive "Crucifixion", the collection consists of precious objects that illustrate the history and the art of Paciano, from the Etruscan period to the end of the 17th centuries.

• Opening hours: 10am-1pm
• Ticket office:
  • Tourist office – Piazza Umberto I, 9 - Panicale
  • Tourist office – Piazza Plebiscito - Città della Pieve
  • Ticket office: Palazzo della Corgna – Piazza Gramsci 1 – Book-shop - Castiglione del lago
• Information: Telephone number 0039-075-830430
• Site: http://www.comune.paciano.pg.it/

The Paciano territory includes the Monte Pausillo Park, a natural reserve of thick Mediterranean woodland at more than 600 metres above sea level. From its summit, the grand panorama extends from Monte Cimino (1053 m., just east of Viterbo) to the Pratomagno (1592 m., north-west of Arezzo) and from the Apennines to the east, all the way to Monte Amiata (1738 m.) to the west. Looking east, beyond Perugia, you can see Assisi, nestled on the slopes of Monte Subasio.