Pacentro is a commune of a little more than one thousand people in the province of L’Aquila in Abruzzo.  It is a quaint medieval village located in the central part of Italy about 17 km from the elegant city of Sulmona.  The Adriatic Sea is not far away.

Pacentro lies in the Apennine Mountain Range on a plateau below Mount Morrone and just above the Peligna Valley and the City of Sulmona. It is part of the Majella National Park (Parco Nazionale della Majella). The town is renowned for its fresh clean mountain water that comes from the snow of the Majella.

The town boasts a medieval castle dating back to the 7th centrury. Three of its four towers remain mostly intact. The castle was sold by the Cipriani-Avolio family to the town government in 1957. It is now being restored and will be opened as a tourist attraction. Through its history, Pacentro was successively in the feudal domain of the Caldora’s, Orsini’s, the Baron De Sanctis, the Colonna’s, the Rossi family, Princes Barberini, and lastly the Marchese Recupito di Raiano. The local nobility and gentry controlled most local affairs in Pacentro while the town’s owners generally remained in Rome or Naples.

Pacentro is known in history for its fine craftsmen and artisans. It was home to fine silk weavers, stone masons, cabinet makers, carpenters, tailors, potters, and artists. A few of these skills still survive in the town today. This area of Abruzzo was directly affected by some of the most severe fighting in World War II.  On the far side of the Maiella mountains from Pacentro was the famous German Gustav Line. Many of the towns near the German defenses were bombed or destroyed, but Pacentro’s geographic position of being tucked into a mountain pass preserved it from aerial bombardment. The population of the whole town was evacuated by the Germans just before Christmas 1943. This event was known as the sfollamento. The only major structural loss was the destruction of the historic mulino (town mill) by retreating German troops. When the Pacentrani returned however, found many of their crops ruined, animals slaughtered and personal property stolen. After the war, many of the men emigrated to other parts of Italy, the United States, South America or Australia to find work. This eventually led to the severe depopulation of the town by the 1970’s.

Pacentro is a remarkably well preserved Italian hill town that features some excellent examples of medieval, renaissance, and baroque architecture. The main church of Santa Maria della Misericordia dates from the 16th Century and contains great works of religious art, statuary, and stucco. The church has the second tallest bell tower in the area and is visible for miles. The church is the sanctuary of the relics of San Crescenzo, a Roman Legionary who converted to Christianity. It has a wonderful baroque carved wood pulpit and side altars commissioned by the local nobility. It is remarkably large and well ornamented for a village of this size.

Other churches include the 12th Century San Marcello Church, The 18th Century Church of the Madonna di Loreto, the small Church of San Marco Evangelista (originally the Rossi Family Chapel of the Madonna dei Sette Dolori) and the fantastic 16th Century Convent Church of SS. Concezione. The convent church contains a rare painting of the Immaculate Conception by the famous Flemish artist Bartholomeus Spranger.  Also located here are finely carved choir stalls and the side altars and crypts of Pacentro’s own Di Lorenzo, Lucci and Granata families.

Each July Pacentro holds a festival called the “Festa del Ritorno”.  This event is organized by the “Cooperativa Agricola Rivera Pacentro” in honor of the people who emigrated from Pacentro, especailly those who have done so in the past century.    In August is the Rievocazione Storica, a medieval festival celebrating the times of the Caldora lords featuring medieval costumes and parades at the castle. The Festa of the Madonna di Loreto is the first Sunday in September and is very popular with a procession and an exciting barefoot race (Corsa degli Zingari) from the Mountains to the Church.

The population of Pacentro peaked in 1911 with over 4000 inhabitants. Today it hosts only just under 1300. Many of the residents emigrated to the United States, Latin America and Australia. There are many clubs and cultural associations for Pacentrani and their descendants around the world. The Associazione Culturale Pacentrana is based in Pacentro and publishes a monthly magazine named “Un Mese in Pacentro” that features cultural and historical articles about Pacentro as well as current events and photos of Pacentrani around the world. There are Pacentro Clubs in Detroi, Youngstown, OH, Paterson, NJ and other cities.

Pacentro is also known for being the village of origin of the father of the entertainer Madonna. To the north of the town lies the Province of Teramo, also in Italy’s Abruzzo Region. Many people from this province have also emigrated to America. Perhaps the best know group came from the village of Valle San Giovannni and emigrated to Penns Grove, NJ. . 

 Pacentro is known for its lovely mountain views.. . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Surnames in Pacentro include the following:

AGOSTINELLI * ALBONI * ALLEGRA * ANGELILLI * ANGELONI * ANGELUCCI * AUTERIO * AVOLIO * BATTAGLINI * BENFATTO * BOSIO * BOZZO * BRANDOLINI * BUCCILLI * BUCCITELLI * BUSSI * CABRAS * CANDITA * CANTELMI * CANZANO * CAPALDO * CAPARSO * CAPPELLA * CAPPOLI * CARACCIA * CARRABBIA * CARVES * CASASANTA * CAVALLARO * CAVICCHIA * CELESTE * CENTOFANTI * CERCONE * CESARE SPADA * CIAMACCO * CIAMPITTI * CICCARELLI * CICCONE * COCCO * COLANGELO * COLAPRETE * COLAROCCO * COLAROSSI * CORATTI * CORSETTI * CRUGNALE * D’ALESSANDRO * D’AMICI * D’AMICO * D’AMORE * D’ARTISTA * D’ORTENZIO * DE ANGELIS * DE BERARDINIS * DE CAPITE MANCINI * DE CHELLIS * DE MARTINIS * DE SANTIS * DI BENEDETTO * DI CENSO * DI CESARE * DI CICCO * DI FLORIO * DI GIALLONARDO * DI IANNI * DI IORIO * DI LISIO * DI MARTINO * DI MASCIO * DI MATTEO * DI NATALE * DI NELLA * DI PILLA COLANGELODI NELLO * DI PILLA COLANGELO * DI PLACIDO * DI SALLE * DOMINICI * FABIILLI * FACCIA * FEDERICI * FICORILLI * FIORE * FLORITELLI * FONTANA FACCIA * FOSSATI * FRANCO * GALTERIO * GAMBELLI * GAMBINA * GAROFALO * GAROFALO * GASBARRO * GENTILE * GIALLONARDI * GIALO’ * GIAMPIETRO * GIANCOLA * GIANNETTI * GRAVINA * GRAZIANI * GUARINO * INNOCENTI * LA LAMA * LA ROCCA * LALAMA * LASCARI * LATTANZIO * LEPORE * LOLLETTI * LUCCI * LUCENTE * MADONNA * MANCINI * MANGIARELLI * MARCAURELIO * MARCHIONDA * MARIANI * MARINUCCI * MASTRAMICO * MAURIZI * MAZZITTI * MONTANARI * MOSCONI * MUSICHINI * NAPOLI * NARCISI * NARDILLI * NAZIO * NAZZIO * NEPI * NISI * NUNZIATA * OLIVIERI * ONESTI * PACELLA * PACENZA * PADOVANI * PAGLIARO * PALLINO CICCONE * PALLOZZI * PARENTI * PASQUA * PASQUA * PASSANTE * PASSERINI * PELINI * PELINO * PENNELLI * PETRELLA * PETRILLI * PEVERINI * PICCIRILLI * PIGNATTONI * PISONE * POILLUCCI * POMPEO * POMPONI * POSATA * RAMUNNO * RESTAINO * ROSANO * ROSSI * ROTOLO * ROTONDI * RUBINO * RUSCITTI * SACCOCCIA * SALVATI * SALVATORE * SANTEUFEMIA * SANTINI * SANZIO * SANZIO SILVESTRI * SBRACCIA * SCASSAIOLI * SCIORE * SCROFANI * SECCHI * SERVIDIO * SFOLGORI * SGAMBATI * SILVESTRI * SIMONE * SIMONI FRANCIA * SPAVENTA * SPERANZA * TERRACCIANO * TOLLIS * TOMBOLATO * TONNO * TRASMONDI * UGOLINI * ULTIMO * VALERI * VAPORE * VASSELLI * VESICA * VILLANI * VIRTUOSO * VITUCCI * VUOLO * VUOLO * ZAVATTI . . . . .

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Sponsored by Casale and Abruzzo Villas

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