Discover What to see in Preci
The small village of Preci, surrounded by dense trees and shrubs – with an abundance of medicinal plants that have been used since ancient times by inhabitants and monks – and nestled amongst woods, springs and a rocky limestone formations, is one of the many attractions of the ‘Parco dei monti Sibillini’ (Park of the Sibillini Mountains). Perched on the hills of the Apennines, the inhabited centre is a web of steep and narrow streets that sometimes have as much as an 8% gradient and that all lead to the main square, the heart of the village. It won’t take long to explore the attractions of this lovely little architectural jewel, in all its 16th-century splendour. Your tour should start from the central pizza with its Palazzo Comunale, the symbol of civil power, not far from the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Pietà, built by the monks of the Abbazia di Sant’Eutizio in the 13th century and a symbol of religious power. To the west, not far from the centre, lies the neighbourhood of Scacchi, named after the brothers Durante and Cesari Scacchi, outstanding exponents of Preci’s famous Surgical School. Walking along the street of the same name, you’ll reach the Chiesa di Santa Caterina, which has sadly been very badly damaged by earthquakes. Now very different in shape to its original form, it houses the Museo della Scuola Chirurgica. (Surgical School museum). At this point, the small village will have revealed almost all its wonders but if you make your way to the southern end of the village, you’ll see the well-conserved old city-wall entrance called the arco di Finocchioli. Once you have passed the threshold, you’ll have left the village itself and then find yourself in the perfect spot to admire the beautiful panorama of the Castoriana valley.