What is Preci known for?

Surgeons from Preci treated royal courts across Europe between the 13th and 18th centuries, specializing in stones, cataracts, and hernias. Benedictine abbey of 5th-century foundation, considered a place of origin for the Benedictine Order in central Italy. Magnitude 6.5 quake on 30 October 2016 brought down most of the borgo and heavily damaged Sant'Eutizio; reconstruction continues.

Preci is a comune in the province of Perugia, Umbria region of Italy, about 70 kilometers from Terni.

Umbria · Perugia

Preci

A walled Valnerina village at 596 meters that ran Europe's leading school of surgery for three centuries until the 2016 quake brought the borgo down.

596m

Elevation

70 km / 43 mi

Nearest hub (Terni)

681

Population

May–Oct

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Why come

Preci sits at 596 meters in the Castoriana valley, inside the Monti Sibillini National Park and within driving distance of both Spoleto and Norcia. The walled borgo is crossed by the Campiano river and surrounded by mountain pasture. The Abbazia di Sant'Eutizio, just outside the walls, is one of the oldest monasteries in Italy, founded by Syrian Benedictine monks in the fifth century. Their accumulated medical knowledge gave rise to the Preci school of surgery, which from the thirteenth to the eighteenth century supplied surgeons to royal courts across Europe; the local specialists worked in extraction of kidney stones, cataract surgery and hernia repair. Noble palaces of the surgeon families still line the centro storico. The town was nearly destroyed by the 30 October 2016 earthquake, magnitude 6.5, which heavily damaged Sant'Eutizio; reconstruction is still in progress. The Borghi più belli, Cittaslow and Parco Nazionale recognitions were retained through the rebuild.

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Gallery

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Known for

Abbazia di Sant'Eutizio
Benedictine monastery of 5th-century foundation, considered a place of origin for the Benedictine Order, heavily damaged in 2016 and under reconstruction.
Centro storico fortificato
Walled medieval borgo on a hillside in the Castoriana valley, with noble palaces of the 16th-18th centuries built by the surgeon families.
Museo della Scuola Chirurgica
Surgical school museum inside the Sant'Eutizio complex documenting the work of Preci surgeons from the 13th to 18th centuries.
Parco Nazionale dei Monti Sibillini
National park surrounding the commune, with trails to Piano Grande di Castelluccio and the Sibillini peaks above 2,000 meters.

When to visit

Best months · May–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

May through October is the working season at this elevation in the Valnerina. The Sibillini trails open in late spring and the Castoriana valley stays green through October. July and August are the months for the high trails to Piano Grande and Monte Vettore; the borgo itself stays cool in the upper twenties. The 30 October earthquake anniversary brings memorial gatherings inside what stands of Sant'Eutizio. November through April is quiet. Snow is common above 800 meters and many roads close in deep winter. The cantieri at Sant'Eutizio are visible behind the perimeter fencing year-round, marking the reconstruction in progress.