Chieti


Chieti is a city and comune in Southern Italy, east of Rome. It is the capital of the province of Chieti, in the Abruzzo region.
In Italian, the adjectival form is teatino and inhabitants of Chieti are called "teatini". The English form of this name is preserved in that of the Theatines, a Catholic religious order.

History

Mythological origins and etymology

Chieti is among the most ancient of Italian cities. According to mythological legends, the city was founded by the fellows of Achilles and was named in honor of his mother, Thetis. Other traditions attribute the foundation to Greeks after the destruction of Troy, to Hercules or a queen of Pelasgians. According to Strabo, it was founded by the Arcadians as Thegeate, named after Tegea.
It was called Theate . As Theate Marrucinorum, Chieti was the chief town of the warlike Marrucini.

First prehistoric settlements

Discoveries of great importance to the prehistory of Abruzzo and traces of settlements dating back to 850,000400,000 years ago were those of two hand axes and some Clactonian splinters at Madonna del Freddo's fluvial terraces, in the territory of Chieti.
On the hill of Chieti, the oldest archaeological finds of urbanization date back to 5,000 BC. Different archaeological relics from the Copper Age and the Bronze Age were identified in areas like the neighbourhood of and the archaeological site of the more recent Roman temples. In Chieti, necropolises from the Iron Age gave further evidence of that development.

The Italic period

After being inhabited by Osci, around the 10th century BC, the territory of present-day Chieti was occupied by Marrucini, an Italic tribe probably coming from Sabina. The latter defeated the former, but they preserved their laws, customs and language and became part of the warlike population called Samnites.
The Marrucini lived in a small strip-shaped territory, including some mountainous zones of southern Apennines, and probably delimited by the Pescara River's mouth, the Adriatic Sea, the Foro, and the territories of Francavilla al Mare and Tollo. The Romans came into contact with this population, whose land was a vital connection with the Adriatic Sea during the First Samnite War.

Roman history

Even if Marrucini did not participate in the Samnite League, they supported the Marsi during the Samnite Wars. After the Marrucini were defeated by the Romans, they became loyal allies of the more powerful forces. The first period of Roman domination was characterized by a lack of political rights, but they also participated to Roman life, including in different wars. Marrucini acquired Roman citizenship and their territory was placed under Roman municipal jurisdiction after the Social War, during which Herius Asinius, a famous general from Teate, was defeated and killed.
In imperial times, Teate's population reached 60,000 inhabitants and was enriched with various structures, which are partially visible today: a forum, a 5,000-seat theater with a diameter of about 80 meters, 4,000-seat amphitheater, an aqueduct, and thermae with a large underground cistern. Teate was favored by Via Tiburtina, an important connection to Rome, and by powerful individuals and families, such as Asinia gens.
Christianity probably arrived early, also thanks to Via Tiburtina, but there are different traditions regarding who Christinised the town. Also according to tradition, the figure who organized the diocese and established its boundaries was the bishop Justin of Chieti.

Medieval history

With the fall of the Western Roman Empire, it was destroyed by Visigoths and Heruli. After being controlled by Ostrogoths and Byzantine Empire, it was seat of a gastaldate under the Lombard kings, so it regained importance. Later, in 801, it was destroyed by Pepin of Italy, son of Charlemagne, and it remained a fief of the Duchy of Spoleto for two centuries.
Chieti recovered some political and economic importance under the Norman rule of Southern Italy, a role it kept also under the Hohenstaufen, Angevine and Jiménez dynasty rulers. With Normans the town was repopulated, the cathedral was rebuilt in 1069 and new powerful families arrived, including Valignani, a Norman family of great importance for the history of Chieti. In 1094, Robert Guiscard nominated Chieti "capital of Abruzzi". In October 1097 at Chieti Pope Urban II called for the First Crusade and the conquest of Jerusalem. Chieti remained also loyal to Manfred, who stayed in the town at Christmas in 1255, and Conradin from the Hohenstaufen dynasty. At the end of the 13th century, Charles I of Anjou enlarged Chieti by creating new neighborhoods and expanding the walls, with new gates being opened. He also divided the region into Abruzzo Citra and Abruzzo Ultra and nominated Chieti capital of Abruzzo Citra. In the 14th century, the Cathedral was renovated, also by building a bell tower, and other churches were built, such as San Francesco al Corso, Santa Maria della Civitella, San Domenico and Sant'Agostino. In the 15th century Alfonso V of Aragon divided the Kingdom into twelve provinces, with Chieti at the head of the provinces of Abruzzi and seat of the viceroy. In 1443, the town obtained the title of "Theate Regia Metropolis Utriusque Aprutinae Provinciae Princeps".

Modern history

In the 16th century, Chieti maintained important economic relationships with Venice, so a consulate of the Venetian Republic was opened in 1555. Also in this and the following century, noble and rich families from Veneto and Lombardy arrived. In the first half of the 16th century, Gian Pietro Carafa, the future Pope Paul IV, was bishop and archbishop of Chieti. In 1571, Chieti participated to the Battle of Lepanto against the Ottoman Empire.
After a cultural and architectural flourishing during the 17th century, under the aegis of the Counter-Reformation, Chieti was decimated by fatalities from plague in 1656. In this century, Chieti acquired the current configuration that characterizes the old town, especially thanks to the ecclesiastical power. Indeed, in that period new religious orders arrived, which, together with the pre-existing ones, erected new buildings. In 1647, under Spanish domination, there was a short period of feoffment of Chieti.
In the 18th century, Chieti was enriched of new buildings, and its cultural life was characterized by several academies and schools, which contributed to the city's artistic heritage.

Contemporary history

In 1806 Chieti was turned into a fortress by Napoleon's France, to which the population was generally hostile, even if new administrative structures were created during that occupation. Many people from Chieti supported intellectually the Risorgimento and also fought in 1820, 1848 and 1859. In 1860, Victor Emmanuel II was triumphantly received at Chieti, and in 1861 the town became part of the newly created Kingdom of Italy.
After Italian Unification, Chieti saw several innovations, such as the creation of banking centers and Cassa di Risparmio Marrucina, gas lighting for the entire town, Rome–Sulmona–Pescara railway, Chieti railway station in 1888, railway connections within the town, the electricity, an aqueduct in 1891, and works of editing of the main street of Chieti with also many demolitions.
Chieti gave many combatants during World War I, with 350 people who died in war.

World War II

During World War II, Chieti was declared an open city and was not extensively bombed by either side.
It was the site of an infamous POW Camp for British and Commonwealth officers where its commandante – Barela – was later convicted of war crimes for his treatment of POWs. Imprisonment in wartime Italy was tough enough. At some camps conditions were much harder, and the regime more brutal, than at others.
PG 21 was a very large camp through which many POWs passed, often on their way to other camps such as Veano and Fontanellato. It was overcrowded, with little running water, poor sanitation and, in winter, no heating. Shortage of food and warm clothing prompted debate in the UK House of Commons.
The story of the camp between August 1942 and September 1943 is told in a book published in November 2014 and written by Brian Lett, a former chairman of the Monte San Martino Trust and the author of several books, including S.A.S. in Tuscany. He tells of suffering under a violently pro-Fascist regime. The first Commandant personally beat up one recaptured escapee. A pilot was murdered by an Italian guard following his escape attempt. Tunnels were dug, and the prisoners were even prepared to swim through human sewage to try to get out. Somehow, morale remained remarkably high.
After the war, a number of the camp's staff were arrested for war crimes, concluding its unhappy history.
The city at this time 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.

Geography and environment

Chieti is situated about away from the Adriatic Sea, and with the Majella and Gran Sasso mountains in the background.
Chieti is mainly divided into Chieti Alta on a hill, which is surrounded by the Pescara and Alento rivers, and the more recent commercial and industrial area known as Chieti Scalo.
Chieti Scalo developed thanks to Chieti railway station, along the ancient layout of Via Tiburtina, in the valley of the Pescara river.
Chieti Alta reaches a maximum altitude of above the sea level, and extends in a south-west to north-east direction. The top of the hill is flat, and hosts the old town, with its various archaeological and historical remains.

Geology

The territory shows the typical geological and geomorphological features of the hilly strip between the Marche-Abruzzi Apennines and the Adriatic Sea. The geology can be put in relation to the nearby Majella massif, which is the highest point of a carbonate platform's anticline. The territory where Chieti lies is the closest foredeep of this anticline to the Adriatic coast.
The geological succession originated in the Pliocene and Quaternary presents different types of clay, sand, sandstone and gravel. In particular, according to empirical geological observations by the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, the prevalent materials are: