The story goes that the village was founded in the 11th century when some inhabitants of Sant’Arcangelo, an ancient Greek-origin settlement at the foot of the monastery of the same name, moved to a more suitable area for agriculture.

The population settled near a stream, giving rise to the name Pes de Flumine, which, over time, evolved in dialect into Per de Fiume, then Per’e Ciumm’, eventually becoming Perdifumo.

According to recent studies, the foundation of Perdifumo is attributed to Saint Pietro Pappacarbone, a Benedictine monk from the Abbey of Cava de’ Tirreni. In fact, the village’s name is believed to originate from Petro Fumus, meaning “Peter’s Smoke.” During his time at the Sant’Arcangelo monastery, he began the construction of what is now the town of Perdifumo.