Holiday apartment in Preci between nature and culture

Preci combines nature experiences in Monti Sibillini National Park with an unusually rich cultural history. The area of Preci lies within the national park; the municipal area also includes valuable habitats belonging to the Natura 2000 network. These include the Monti Sibillini Special Protection Area for birds as well as the Valle Campiano and Valnerina Sites of Community Importance. If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Preci, you will find a place where hiking, observing the landscape and historical discoveries can be meaningfully combined.

Hiking trails for different plans

The Sentiero Natura di Preci is 3.7 kilometres long, takes around two hours and has a difficulty rating of T (Tourist). In terms of content, the trail follows in the footsteps of hermits, monks and heretics who chose these places for an ascetic life because of their seclusion and tranquillity. A longer option is the “La Natura Sulla Porta Di Casa” hiking trail: it runs from Preci via Sacovescio and Collescille back to Preci, is 13.4 kilometres long, takes 4 hours and 10 minutes and has a difficulty rating of E (Hiking trail). The different trail lengths and difficulty ratings help you plan your days according to your available time and hiking experience. This is particularly useful if you are travelling with children or in a group with different preferences. There is also a notable route for cycle tourists: on the road cycling route from Norcia to Castelluccio via Forca di Gualdo, the road initially climbs towards Forca d'Ancarano and then descends towards Preci.

Landscape between the national park and orchids

The dense network of hiking trails in Valle Castoriana is home to an exceptional variety of wild-growing orchids. The mountain Monte Plaie is located in the vicinity of Preci. The mountains Monte Sella, Monte Cardosa and Monte Fema are also in the surrounding area. The nature theme therefore extends from protected habitats and plant observation to striking mountains, without requiring you to equate the area's landscape connections with a single viewpoint or a specific access route.

Churches, frescoes and medieval traces

Below the town of Preci, at Campiano, stands the church of Madonna della Peschiera, built in 1600. Next to the church, a spring feeds basins that have been used for trout farming since the 17th century. The historic centre of Preci includes a 14th-century castle that has been destroyed and rebuilt several times. The church of Santa Caterina has a Gothic portal with Romanesque decorative elements on the façade. The former church of Santa Caterina also houses the Museo della scuola chirurgica preciana. The church of Santa Maria preserves heavily fragmented frescoes from the 14th and 15th centuries.

The Scuola Chirurgica Preciana

The history of the Scuola Chirurgica Preciana gives Preci a distinctive cultural profile. From the 10th to the 16th century, the school trained lay surgeons whose knowledge was sought throughout Europe. It originated with Benedictine monks from Sant'Eutizio Abbey, who practised and taught medicine in the 10th century. Sant'Eutizio Benedictine Abbey has origins dating back to the 5th century. Surgeons from Preci became known throughout Europe for treating cataracts and performing hernia operations. The abbey church was rebuilt in the Romanesque style between the 12th and 13th centuries; its Romanesque portal is topped by a lunette bearing an inscription from 1190.

Further destinations in the surrounding region

The wider region surrounding Preci is home to Rocca di Arquata Castle, the Pinacoteca Fortunato Duranti, the Esposizione archeologica sui plestini umbri and Palazzo delle Logge. These different focal points can help guide your accommodation decision: you can choose between nature-focused days around Preci, hikes with specific route profiles and excursions to regional art, archaeology and architecture.

More places to discover: Trestina, Compignano, Collemancio, Colombella, Casalina, Citta Della Pieve, Sanguineto and Azzano.

For the higher-level travel overview: Perugia.