It is a well-preserved historic medieval village located in central Italy, several kilometers from the City of Sulmona about 170 kilometres (110 mi) east of Rome.

[3] Pacentro lies in the Apennine Mountain Range on a plateau consisting of small hills 650 metres (2,133 ft) above sea level.

Pacentro is one of several towns in the area with a medieval castle due to its position at the entrance of the strategic San Leonardo mountain pass to Pescara.

There are writings of the era that mention a certain "Gualterio, son of Manerio, Count of Valva", who lived in the Castle of Pacentro in 1130.

The Neapolitan branch of the Orsini family took control in 1483 and as allies of the Aragonese Kings, they were wealthy enough to extensively remodel the castle and expand the town.

Pacentro was also united politically with the nearby towns of Cansano and Campo di Giove for much of the 18th and early 19th century due to their common ownership by the same Feudal Lord.

In World War II this area of Abruzzo was directly affected by some of the most intense warfare of the Italian Campaign.

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.

Thousands of the town's inhabitants were evicted from their homes and forced to endure significant hardships and deportations.

The only major structural loss from the war was the destruction of the historic Mulino or town mill by the retreating German troops.

After the war, many of the men had to emigrate to other parts of Italy, the United States, South America or Australia to find work.

According to the 1753 Catasto Onciario (or Tax Census), 10% of Pacentro's population consisted of the aristocrats, gentlemen land owners and wealthy professionals (doctors, lawyers, notaries, pharmacists, priests, merchants, architects/master builders, etc.).

At its peak of prosperity, Pacentro was home to fine silk weavers, stonemasons, cabinetmakers, carpenters, shoemakers, tailors, metal smiths, potters, artists and other craftsmen.

The camerlengo and sindaci were the officials that ran the day-to-day operations of the town and were mostly upper or middle class in origin.

On the lower end of the social spectrum, occasionally a free farmer with a sufficient dowry for his daughter could attract an artisan to marry her.

Connecting the two main piazzas is the Via S. Maria Maggiore (also known as Vico Dritto), a straight and narrow road which is wide enough only for pedestrian traffic.

Located on the Piazza del Popolo, the main church (or Chiesa Madre) of Santa Maria della Misericordia (Our Lady of Mercy) was completed in 1603 and contains great works of religious art, statuary, and stucco.

The Chiesa Madre is the sanctuary of the relics of San Crescenzo, a Roman Legionary who converted to Christianity.

The relics were originally placed in a crypt beneath the sanctuary, but now reside in shrine built into the main altar.

This older church was believed to be a part of a Hostel (or Ospedale) of the Knights Templar for pilgrims on their way to Brindisi and the Holy Land.

Above the rear entrance of the church is an inscription of the phrase from the Book of Genesis 28:17, Terribilis est locus iste ("How awesome is this place").

This church is also the focus of the Festa of the Madonna di Loreto in September which features the Corsa degli Zingari foot race.

This chapel also used to be the home of a rare 14th-century painted wooden statue of the Madonna and Child that belonged to the Pitassi-Rossi Family.

With the destruction of the original 16th Church of San Marco in the early 20th century, the chapel was expanded, rededicated, and now serves as the seat of the Confraternita' della Santa Croce.

The church also contains the processional half-bust statue of San Marco Evangelista used on April 25 each year, and an 18th-century painting of the Madonna dei Sette Dolori in which the Rossi family coat-of-arms is depicted.

Concezione (Immaculate Conception) is a fairly large complex on the south end of the town that was founded by the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor in 1589.

For more details on the churches of Pacentro see the parish website: Parrocchia di S. Maria della Misercordia The town also contains numerous 16th–19th-century palaces and houses of the local gentry and nobility.

The feast of Corpus Christi (or Corpus Domini) falls a month or so after Easter and features a magnificent procession with several altars erected throughout the village In July is the Festa del Ritorno, an event organized by the "Cooperativa Agricola Rivera Pacentro" in honor of the people who emigrated in the past century from this town.

The Festa of the Madonna of 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.

Rosario (Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary) and in November is the Feast of St. Charles Borromeo with a procession and the inflating of a giant hot air balloon in the Piazza Jaringhi.