Paciano in Umbria

I live near Paciano in Umbria, Italy. Let me introduce it to you.

Paciano in Umbria

The name Paciano is pronounced Pachano or Pashano in local dialect by the way. Paciano was a medieval walled village sitting under Mount Petravella and overlooking Lago Trasimeno. In another blog post, ‘Obsessed by Archways‘, I introduced the three medieval gates that lead through the village walls into the inner streets.

Picturesque Streets

I want to show you some of the picturesque streets that lay within the village walls. Let me remind you that Paciano is a small village/town of around 1,000 inhabitants. The majority live outside the central walled area. We also live outside the village but slightly higher up overlooking Lago Trasimeno. It is about a six minute drive into Paciano for us. This view of Paciano was taken from the side of the road driving down to the village from our road.

A Walk Through Paciano

Walking through one of the three medieval gates of Paciano takes you into a picturesque world of narrow streets with old stone walls, flagstones and terracotta tiles.

There are three main streets all connected via a series of side streets and alleyways. So it is easy walk around and take in the atmosphere. The long middle street,  Via Nicola Danzetta, I find particularly inspirational with the contradictions of old stone and red brick with modern plaster and painted facades. All this punctuated by iron balconies and of course window shutters. Add some twists and turns, ups and downs, street lights, the contrade flags (when there is a festival) with the backdrop of the forest on the mountain above. It is a photographers’ dream.

Looking Down Alleyways

I couldn’t resist this shot down what was actually an unassuming little alley that I nearly walked past. As I glanced down I initially saw the plain walls. But then my eye was caught by the old classic car, a Fiat, that was parked at the bottom of the alley – just enough to catch your interest. So I called this shot ‘Classic Alley View Paciano’ in homage to the car.

Time for a Drink!

Paciano has a number of restaurants both within the walls and on the outskirts of the village. It has two bars, one in the middle and one below the village. Here we have Barnet Boy and the two puppies Ringo and Spud sitting in the square outside the Comune building in the middle of Paciano. They are waiting for a well deserved beer to be served (Barnet Boy that is). All three very bravely accompanied me on a photo shoot/fact finding mission and managed not to look bored.

Churches in Paciano

Paciano has five churches, two in the middle of the village and the rest on the outskirts.  Not all are still in use. The one shown here is Santa Maria Assunta in Cielo and it is the parish church. It sits just outside the village walls near the Porta Fiorentina. The church has a spectacular bell tower and is in the Archdiosese of Perugia and Citta della Pieve. It sits on its own land and has a fabulous view down to Lago Trasimeno.

A Paciano Cat

You will be pleased to know that I managed to find a cat to photograph, a Paciano resident (Pacianese – pronounced Pashanaysay locally). He just happened to have paused for a drink as I came round a corner. As my Mum said ‘trust you to find a cat’. Hey, my gift!

Purchase Images

Check out my images towns and villages in Umbria at my Art Heroes (Europe), Pictorem (USA and Canada) and RedBubble (worldwide) stores.

Before you go

My name is Dorothy Berry-Lound an artist and writer. You can find out more about my art and writing at https://dorothyberryloundart.com.

You can follow me on Facebook.

Thank you for reading!