Chieti
Encyclopedia
Chieti ˈkjeːti is a city and comune
in Central Italy
, 200 km northeast of Rome
. It is the capital of the Province of Chieti
in the Abruzzo region
. Chieti lies on a crest along the Pescara River a few kilometres away from the Adriatic Sea
, and with the Maiella and Gran Sasso
mountains in the background.
. According to Strabo
, it was founded by the Arcadia
ns as Tegeate.
After their defeat against the Romans
, the Marrucini became their loyal allies and later their territory was placed under Roman municipal jurisdiction after the Social War. In imperial times Chieti reached up to 60,000 inhabitants but, after the fall of the Western Roman Empire
, it was destroyed by Visigoths and Heruli
. Later it was seat of a gastald
ate under the Lombard
kings. After its destruction by Peppin, it became a fief of the Duchy of Benevento
.
Chieti recovered some political and economic importance under the Norman rule of Southern Italy, a role it kept also under the Hohenstaufen, Angevine
and Aragonese
rules. After a cultural and architectonical flourishment during the 17th century, under the aegis of the Counter-Reformation
, Chieti was again shattered by plague in 1656. In the 18th century it received several new academies and schools which further increased the city's artistical heritage. In 1806 Chieti was turned into a fortress by the French
. It became part of the newly-created Kingdom of Italy in 1860.
During World War II
, Chieti, as it was not bombed because it was declared an open city
(like Rome
), welcomed many refugees from the near towns and villages. Allied forces liberated the city on June 9, 1944, one day after the Germans
left the city.
Under the church of SS. Pietro e Paolo and the adjoining houses are extensive substructures (in opus reticulatum
and brickwork) of the 1st century CE, belonging to a building erected by M. Vectius Marcellus (probably mentioned by Pliny
, H.N., II., 199) and Helvidia Priscilla. There are also remains of large reservoirs and of an ancient theatre. New excavations are currently under way on the site of the former Campo Sportivo.
(Università G. d'Annunzio - Chieti e Pescara) is based in Chieti and Pescara
and hosts about 35,000 students, covering areas of Architecture, Arts and Philosophy, Economics, Foreign Languages and Literatures, Management, Medicine, Pharmacy, Psychology, Sciences, Social Sciences and Sports Medicine.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
in Central Italy
Central Italy
Central Italy is one of the five official statistical regions of Italy used by the National Institute of Statistics , a first level NUTS region and a European Parliament constituency...
, 200 km northeast of Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. It is the capital of the Province of Chieti
Province of Chieti
The Province of Chieti is a province in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Chieti.It has an area of 2,588 km², and a total population of 381,993...
in the Abruzzo region
Abruzzo
Abruzzo is a region in Italy, its western border lying less than due east of Rome. Abruzzo borders the region of Marche to the north, Lazio to the west and south-west, Molise to the south-east, and the Adriatic Sea to the east...
. Chieti lies on a crest along the Pescara River a few kilometres away from the Adriatic Sea
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...
, and with the Maiella and Gran Sasso
Gran Sasso
Gran Sasso d'Italia is a mountain located in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. The Gran Sasso forms the centerpiece of the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park which was established in 1993 and holds the highest mountains in continental Italy south of the Alps and is part of the...
mountains in the background.
History
As Theate Marrucinorum, Chieti was the chief town of the warlike MarruciniMarrucini
The Marrucini were an ancient tribe which occupied a small strip of territory around the ancient Teate , on the east coast of Abruzzo, Italy, limited by the Aterno and Foro Rivers...
. According to Strabo
Strabo
Strabo, also written Strabon was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher.-Life:Strabo was born to an affluent family from Amaseia in Pontus , a city which he said was situated the approximate equivalent of 75 km from the Black Sea...
, it was founded by the Arcadia
Arcadia
Arcadia is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the administrative region of Peloponnese. It is situated in the central and eastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. It takes its name from the mythological character Arcas. In Greek mythology, it was the home of the god Pan...
ns as Tegeate.
After their defeat against the Romans
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
, the Marrucini became their loyal allies and later their territory was placed under Roman municipal jurisdiction after the Social War. In imperial times Chieti reached up to 60,000 inhabitants but, after the fall of the Western Roman Empire
Western Roman Empire
The Western Roman Empire was the western half of the Roman Empire after its division by Diocletian in 285; the other half of the Roman Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire, commonly referred to today as the Byzantine Empire....
, it was destroyed by Visigoths and Heruli
Heruli
The Heruli were an East Germanic tribe who are famous for their naval exploits. Migrating from Northern Europe to the Black Sea in the third century They were part of the...
. Later it was seat of a gastald
Gastald
A gastald was a Lombard official in charge of some portion of the royal demesne with civil, martial, and judicial powers. By the Edictum Rothari of 643, the gastalds were given the civil authority in the cities and the reeves the like authority in the countryside...
ate under the Lombard
Lombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
kings. After its destruction by Peppin, it became a fief of the Duchy of Benevento
Duchy of Benevento
The Duchy and later Principality of Benevento was the southernmost Lombard duchy in medieval Italy, centred on Benevento, a city central in the Mezzogiorno. Owing to the Ducatus Romanus of the popes, which cut it off from the rest of Lombard Italy, Benevento was from the first practically...
.
Chieti recovered some political and economic importance under the Norman rule of Southern Italy, a role it kept also under the Hohenstaufen, Angevine
Capetian House of Anjou
The Capetian House of Anjou, also known as the House of Anjou-Sicily and House of Anjou-Naples, was a royal house and cadet branch of the direct House of Capet. Founded by Charles I of Sicily, a son of Louis VIII of France, the Capetian king first ruled the Kingdom of Sicily during the 13th century...
and Aragonese
House of Aragon
The House of Aragon is the name given several royal houses that ruled the County, the Kingdom or the Crown of Aragon.Some historiansGuillermo Fatás y Guillermo Redondo, Alberto Montaner Frutos, Faustino Menéndez Pidal de Navascués...
rules. After a cultural and architectonical flourishment during the 17th century, under the aegis of the Counter-Reformation
Counter-Reformation
The Counter-Reformation was the period of Catholic revival beginning with the Council of Trent and ending at the close of the Thirty Years' War, 1648 as a response to the Protestant Reformation.The Counter-Reformation was a comprehensive effort, composed of four major elements:#Ecclesiastical or...
, Chieti was again shattered by plague in 1656. In the 18th century it received several new academies and schools which further increased the city's artistical heritage. In 1806 Chieti was turned into a fortress by the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It became part of the newly-created Kingdom of Italy in 1860.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Chieti, as it was not bombed because it was declared an open city
Open city
In war, in the event of the imminent capture of a city, the government/military structure of the nation that controls the city will sometimes declare it an open city, thus announcing that they have abandoned all defensive efforts....
(like Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
), welcomed many refugees from the near towns and villages. Allied forces liberated the city on June 9, 1944, one day after the Germans
German Army
The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...
left the city.
Main sights
- The GothicGothic architectureGothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
Cathedral, re-built by bishop Attone I in 1069. Of that building only parts of the Romanesque crypt remain. The church was remade in the 14th century when also the belltower was enlarged. After several earthquakes, the church was rebuilt again in the late 17th-18th centuries in BaroqueBaroqueThe Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
style. - Oratory of Sacro Monte dei Morti
- Church of San Francesco al Corso, founded in 1239. The façade shows an incomplete Baroque restoration.
- Church of Santa Chiara.
Under the church of SS. Pietro e Paolo and the adjoining houses are extensive substructures (in opus reticulatum
Opus reticulatum
Opus reticulatum is a form of brickwork used in ancient Roman architecture. It consists of diamond-shaped bricks of tuff placed around a core of opus caementicium...
and brickwork) of the 1st century CE, belonging to a building erected by M. Vectius Marcellus (probably mentioned by Pliny
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
, H.N., II., 199) and Helvidia Priscilla. There are also remains of large reservoirs and of an ancient theatre. New excavations are currently under way on the site of the former Campo Sportivo.
Museum
- National Archaeological Museum of the Abruzzi "Villa Frigerii" - The rooms of the museum are dedicated to: Burial cults in pre-Roman Abruzzo / Italic sculpture / The Capestrano Warrior / The Pansa collection / The Sanctuary of Hercules Curinus at Sulmona / The Numismatic collection / Roman Iconography in Abruzzo.
- Art Museum "Costantino Barbella"
- Biomedical Science Museum (PaleopathologyPaleopathologyPaleopathology, also spelled palaeopathology, is the study of ancient diseases. It is useful in understanding the past history of diseases, and uses this understanding to predict its course in the future.- History of paleopathology :...
and BioarchaeologyBioarchaeologyThe term bioarchaeology was first coined by British archaeologist Grahame Clark in 1972 as a reference to zooarchaeology, or the study of animal bones from archaeological sites...
) - Archaeological Museum "La Civitella"
- Diocesan Theatine Museum
Education
The University of ChietiUniversity of Chieti
The G. d'Annunzio University is a university located in Chieti and Pescara, Italy. It was founded in 1960 and is organized in 11 Faculties. Student enrollment at the University is currently in excess of 23,000.-History:...
(Università G. d'Annunzio - Chieti e Pescara) is based in Chieti and Pescara
Pescara
Pescara is the capital city of the Province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo region of Italy. As of January 1, 2007 it was the most populated city within Abruzzo at 123,059 residents, 400,000 with the surrounding metropolitan area...
and hosts about 35,000 students, covering areas of Architecture, Arts and Philosophy, Economics, Foreign Languages and Literatures, Management, Medicine, Pharmacy, Psychology, Sciences, Social Sciences and Sports Medicine.
Climate
Famous people
- Gaius Asinius PollioGaius Asinius PollioGaius Asinius Pollio may refer to:*Gaius Asinius Pollio , historian and friend of Virgil and Horace*Gaius Asinius Pollio , his grandson* For others with the name Asinius, see Asinia ....
(75 BC / AD 4) - Roman soldier, politician, orator, poet, playwright, literary critic and historian - Severino Di GiovanniSeverino Di GiovanniSeverino Di Giovanni , was an Italian anarchist who immigrated to Argentina, where he became the best-known anarchist figure in that country for his campaign of violence in support of Sacco and Vanzetti and antifascism.- Italy :Di Giovanni was born on March 17, 1901, in the town of Chieti, in the...
- Anarchist who exiled himself to ArgentinaArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
in 1922 - Ferdinando GalianiFerdinando GalianiFerdinando Galiani was an Italian economist, a leading Italian figure of the Enlightenment. Friedrich Nietzsche called him the "most fastidious and refined intelligence" of the 18th century....
- EconomistEconomistAn economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy... - Sergio MarchionneSergio MarchionneSergio Marchionne is an international manager best known for his turnaround of the Italian automotive group Fiat and, more recently, for managing the US automotive group Chrysler from bankruptcy to profitability...
- Businessman and CEO of FIAT S.p.A. - Alessandro ValignanoAlessandro ValignanoAlessandro Valignano, , was a Jesuit missionary born in Chieti, back then part of the Kingdom of Naples, who helped supervise the introduction of Catholicism to the Far East, and especially to Japan....
- Jesuit missionaryMissionaryA missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
who helped the introduction of Catholicism to the Far East - Pierluigi ZappacostaPierluigi ZappacostaPierluigi Zappacosta is a Venture Partner with Noventi and Vice President of Business Development at Sierra Sciences....
- Co-founder of LogitechLogitechLogitech International S.A. is a global provider of personal peripherals for computers and other digital platforms headquartered in Romanel-sur-Morges, Switzerland. The company develops and markets products like peripheral devices for PCs, including keyboards, mice, microphones, game controllers...
, Venture Partner with NoventiNoventiNoventi Ventures is a venture capital firm founded in 2002 by Giacomo Marini and it was previously known as CIR Ventures.The Noventi team includes: Giacomo Marini, Masa Ishii, Pierluigi Zappacosta.-Portfolio:...
, President/CEO of Sierra Sciences
External links
- Site of National Museum Archaelogical of Abruzzi Villa Frigerii
- Official site of Biomedical Museum
- Official site of Archaelogical Museum "La Civitella"
- Official site of Art Museum "Costantino Barbella"
- Italy's most important Easter Procession in Chieti