Paciano

Paciano is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Perugia in the Italian region Umbria, located about 30 km southwest of Perugia. Paciano borders the following municipalities: Castiglione del Lago, Città della Pieve, Panicale, Piegaro. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy"). Paciano is first mentioned in 917 in an imperial charter of Berengar I. In its early history it appears as an estate granted to Uguccione II of Bourbon. By 1258 Villa Paçani is recorded as a settlement under Perugia, and in 1260 it is described as Castrum Pacani, a fortified site. In 1282 it is listed as a "new castle" (Castrum Novum) with 44 households. In the early 14th century the original fortress was destroyed and rebuilt nearby. In 1313 the inhabitants were exempted from participating in a military campaign against Todi. In 1371 Paciano was granted as a perpetual fief to William of Beaufort. It was taken in 1416 by Braccio da Montone, and in 1443–1444 it was occupied and harassed by Ciarpellone. Between 1461 and 1473 the walls were restored and the main tower was constructed. In the late 15th century the area was affected by conflict between the Baglioni and Degli Oddi families, during which members of the Oddi took refuge there. In 1489 Paciano returned under the authority of Perugia and the Papal States. In 1672 it was raised to the rank of county by Pope Clement X, a status later revoked under Pope Gregory XVI. In 1798 Paciano came under the Roman Republic, during which a civic guard was established; in 1799 Papal rule was restored. Papal authority was again suspended during the Napoleonic period under French control. In 1816 Paciano became an autonomous municipality. In 1860 it was annexed to the Kingdom of Sardinia, and subsequently became part of the Kingdom of Italy. In the mid-19th century Paciano had a population of 1,018 inhabitants. Of these, 255 resided within the town and 826 in the countryside. Paciano stands on a hill at about 400 metres (1,300 ft) above sea level and lies 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) from Città della Pieve, 2 miles (3.2 km) from Panicale, about 3 miles (4.8 km) from Lake Trasimeno, and 1 mile (1.6 km) from the Tresa stream. The climate is described as temperate, with prevailing southern winds. The settlement consists of the main village, still enclosed by ancient walls restored in the 15th century, and an external borgo. The municipality includes the localities of Borgarucci, Caselle, Le Case, Mazzarelli, Paciano, Peschiera, Poderaccio Basso. In 2021, 202 people lived in rural dispersed dwellings not assigned to any named locality. At the time, the most populous locality was Paciano proper (523). The present settlement is sometimes referred to as Paciano nuovo, to distinguish it from Paciano vecchio. The earlier settlement of Paciano Vecchio survives only in part, notably in the form of a crenellated tower called the Torre d'Orlando, situated on a height about 1 mile (1.6 km) from the present town. The designation nuovo for Paciano does not appear before the 14th century.

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Paciano is a stopover point on The Via Romea Germanica. You can reach Civitas Vaticana - Città del Vaticano in 11 days and Orvieto in 3 days.