Located 700 meters above sea level, in the Majella National Park, Pacentro is considered one of the best preserved villages of Abruzzo. He wrote a writer of the nineteenth century "placed in a pleasant hill at the foot of Mount Morrone, wherever you look at it, showed how big it is enough and pleasant appearance". 

From numerous archaeological finds it is possible to document the presence of primitive man in the territory, while the origin and the period of the first dwellings of the pago is not known, however it could be placed between the eighth and ninth centuries after Christ. The first written memory of Pacentro dates back to 1170, the year in which Mallerio, "dominator Pacentri", donated the Church of S. Angelo in Vetuli to the Bishopric of San Panfilo di Sulmona. Pacentro followed the historical events of the Kingdom of Naples and was often feud contested by the feudal lords. The ruins of the Caldoresco Castle remain, which was built by the Counts of Valva and whose construction dates back to the period between the late '300 and the beginning of '400. In the Piazza del Popolo, in the historic center, we find the beautiful and elegant seventeenth-century fountain, in front of which stands the majestic Church of Mercy. Among the Churches we also remember that of the Immaculate in the Convent of the Minor Observants (1589) and the Church of San Marcello (the oldest in the country). Every year, on the first Sunday of September, the traditional Gypsy race ("Gypsy" in "barefoot" dialect) is renewed, whose origin dates back to the ancient Lombard rites.

Over the years Pacentro has increasingly strengthened its image through the adhesion and promotion of high-level national cultural initiatives. In 2001 Pacentro is among the first countries to be part of the club of The most beautiful villages in Italy. While in 2019 there was the adhesion to the network of Marciane Cities, together with the municipalities of Castellabate (Sa), Cellino S. Marco (Br), Manocalzati (Av), S. Marco Argentano (Cs), S. Marco D'Alunzio (Me), S. Marco dei Cavoti (Bn), S. Marco Evangelista (Ce), S. Marco la Catola (Fg) and Torricella (Ta). Moreover, in 2018 there were close relations with the municipality of Salvitelle (SA) due to the celebration of a similar race "barefoot", while already in 2010 initiatives were taken to create a network between the municipalities of Abruzzo, Apulian and Molise around the figure of Jacopo Caldora and his powerful family. And in 2022 with the municipalities of Colle Sannita (BN) and Castel del Giudice (IS) with regard to the figure of Giacomo Caldora, valiant and powerful leader of the fifteenth century. Among the activities that characterize the center peligno should be remembered the aforementioned Corsa degli Zingari, organized by the homonymous association in collaboration with the Brotherhood of Our Lady of Loreto, the Historical Re-enactment of Caldoreschi, organized by the Associazione Culturale Pacentrana, The Living Nativity by the Proloco.