Historical streets and squares Corso Marrucino Corso Marrucino (Italian for "Marrucinian Street"), the main street of Chieti's center, follows in its path part of the shape of Chieti's hill and is characterized by many buildings of different periods, which sometimes also present porches for pedestrians. Formerly known as "Corso Galiani", it was modified according to a project approved in 1890, which also enlarged the street through different demolitions. Among the most representative architectures, there are the former local seat of the
Bank of Italy (built at the beginning of the 20th century with neoclassical taste), the former seat of the local
Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Agriculture and Artisanship (completed in 1930 in Neo-Gothic style), and the seat of the
Province of Chieti (built between 1914 and 1928). Older buildings are represented by the former
Piarists' boarding school, the adjacent San Domenico church and De' Mayo palace. The former
Piarists'
boarding school, which now hosts the school named Convitto Nazionale
Giambattista Vico with its homonymous
liceo classico, was founded thanks to a will of 1636. The 16th-century De' Mayo palace, a former seat of the viceroy of
Abruzzo, is built in
Neapolitan style on Ancient Roman underground galleries, featuring a patio, a big stone
portal, and an original Orientalizing turret. Close to the cathedral there is the
Baroque oratory of the Mount of the Dead Brotherhood, the oldest catholic
fraternity of Chieti that was officially acknowledged by
Pope Innocent X in 1648.
San Francesco al Corso A church dedicated to Saint Francis, which has the traditional
Latin cross plan, was probably founded in 1239 thanks to the nobleman Antonio Gizio, who donated his estate to the project. In the second half of the 14th century, a new
façade was constructed, but it was rebuilt in the 17th century except at the top with a
rose window. After years of decay, in 1689 they started an extensive restoration which changed the appearance of this church. At the end of the 19th century, the architect Torquato Scaraviglia added an external
stairway and another intervention was commissioned by the noblewoman Theresa de Hortalis. The church has a hemispherical dome with ''
trompe-l'œil'' paintings and ten chapels, whose improvements were financed by some of the most important families of Chieti of the time.
Santa Chiara The
Baroque church named Santa Chiara was built for the nuns of the
Order of Saint Clare between 1644 and 1720 and presents a
Latin cross floor plan with a single
nave. The adjacent building, in the past
convent with the name of Santo Spirito and now a
Carabinieri center, was inhabited by the nuns from 1558 to the
Italian Unification, who were for sure present in Chieti since the 14th century. Artworks of great importance preserved in this church are the wooden
pulpit with gold and marble decorations, the 18th century
organ, the vault painted with a representation of the
Assumption of Mary, and the major
altarpiece representing the
Pentecost.
Military architecture Porta Pescara Porta Pescara is the name of the only
city gates existing today of the town walls that defended Chieti, with one dating back to the 13th century and the other built in 1797 on the orders of Baron Francesco Farina, an important administrator. The older one, which shows an elegant
pointed arch, was realized in stone thanks to the donations collected by the
bishop of Chieti. Their name derives from the fact that they gave access to the old road to today's
Pescara.
Roman theater In the area of La Civitella there are the remains of a Roman theatre, which was probably built in the 1st century CE, a period of prosperity. The building had a diameter of about 80
meters and could host about 5,000 spectators, but today they can see little more than the left wing of its
cavea with some corridors.
Roman temples In 1935 Desiderato Scenna discovered the remains of four ancient Roman temples, the best-preserved one of which was used as a church since the 8th century and renamed after
Saint Peter and
Saint Paul, whereas another one has been removed to build a
post office. The construction of the two twin temples and the smaller one was commissioned by Marcus Vetius Marcellus and his wife Helvidia Priscilla, who were favored by
Nero. They do not know what divinities they were dedicated to, even if some scholars proposed that they were consecrated to the
Capitoline Triad (
Jupiter,
Juno and
Minerva). The walls are made of bricks, marble slabs, stone slabs and stone
tiles, and the plan of the twin temples included a
portico and underground spaces.
Subterranean structures The
thermae are connected to an underground
cistern, which is a part of a complex Roman
water supply system. In addition, underneath the 18th-century Palazzo de' Mayo there is the so-called
via tecta, an over 4 meters tall ancient Roman underground street, whose function is still debated.
Museums in the
Museo Archeologico Nazionale d'Abruzzo National Archaeology Museum of Abruzzo The
National Archaeology Museum of Abruzzo is surrounded by an
urban park and is located in the former 19th-century
Neoclassical residence of the Frigerj family. The rooms of the museum, which hosts the ancient
Warrior of Capestrano, are dedicated to:
Italic sculpture,
Roman sculpture, a
numismatic collection, a collection of
antiquities created by Giovanni Pansa, the
Vestini, the
Peligni, the
Marrucini and the
Carricini.
La Civitella Archaeology Museum The lies at the archaeological site of the Roman
amphitheatre and is focused on the
Marrucini and the ancient history of Chieti. It also preserves the
Funerary Monument of Lusius Storax.
Chieti Museum of Biomedical Sciences The
University Museum of History of Biomedical Sciences is managed by the
University of Chieti-Pescara and exposes
prehistoric finds, rocks,
minerals, a
malacological collection,
medical devices of the early 20th century and a collection of
contemporary art. The museum is located in the former local house of the
Opera Nazionale Dopolavoro, an example of
fascist architecture.
Costantino Barbella Art Museum The art museum dedicated to
Costantino Barbella is located in an 18th-century
palace and houses frescoes, sculptures, paintings, and pottery from the 15th to the 20th centuries, including a collection of
Maiolica from
Castelli.
Diocesan Museum of Chieti The Museo Diocesano Teatino (Italian for "Diocesan Museum of Chieti") is located in the 17th-century Church of Saint Dominic and hosts frescoes from the 14th to the 16th century, wooden statues and paintings.
Events Good Friday procession According to some historians,
Good Friday procession, which is considered Italy's oldest religious procession, has taken place in Chieti since 842. From historical documented sources, the origins of its current form date back to the 16th century. It is organized by the Mount of the Dead Brotherhood, an old local
fraternity, with different sacred symbols, including an 18th-century wooden Christ sculpture, an
Our Lady of Sorrows statue (which is dressed every time for the event by a selected group of women), seven symbols of
Passion. The procession starts at the Cathedral at sunset and goes through the principal streets of the old town, where torches on wrought iron tripods are placed. Different people take part, adults and children: the hooded members of the Mount of the Dead Brotherhood and other brotherhoods of the town,
clergymen, members of the
Order of the Holy Sepulcher, and a choir and an orchestra performing
Miserere by Saverio Selecchy (a local composer of the 18th century). == Education ==