<DOCUMENT>
<TYPE>EX-24
<SEQUENCE>3
<FILENAME>powerofattorney.txt
<DESCRIPTION>POWER OF ATTORNEY
<TEXT>
                                POWER OF ATTORNEY

     The undersigned, a director or officer of PATRIOT NATIONAL BANCORP, INC., a
Connecticut corporation (the "Company"), hereby severally constitutes and
appoints Robert F. O'Connell, Philip W. Wolford, Paul G. Hughes, Robert W.
Reeves and Roxana Aleali, and each of them singly, my true and lawful attorneys
with full power to them, and each of them singly, with full powers of
substitution and resubstitution, to sign for me and in my name any report that I
am required to file pursuant to Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), with respect to my ownership of
securities of the Company and generally to do all such things in my name and on
my behalf to enable me to comply with the provisions of Section 16 of the
Exchange Act, and all requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission,
hereby ratifying and confirming my signature as it may be signed by my
attorneys, or any of them, or their substitute or substitutes, to a report filed
under such Section 16 on my behalf. This Power of Attorney shall remain in full
force and effect until such time as I file a new Power of Attorney with the
Securities and Exchange Commission designating one or more different attorneys
for purposes of signing on my behalf such reports under Section 16 of the
Exchange Act with respect to the securities of the Company.




                                                     /s/ ANGELO DE CARO
                                                     ------------------
                                                     Angelo De Caro

Date: November 1, 2002




</TEXT>
</DOCUMENT>
