During World War II Chieti was not bombed because, like Rome, it was declared an open city. It welcomed many refugees from the near towns and villages. Allied forces liberated the city on June 9, 1944, one day after the Germans departed.
The main sights of Chieti include:
The belltower of the Cathedral of Chieti.
The Gothic 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 rebilt again in the late 17th-18th centuries in Baroque 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 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.
The University of Chieti (Università G. d’Annunzio - Chieti e Pescara) is based in Chieti and Pescara and hosts about 35,000 students. It specializes in the areas of architecture, arts and philosophy, economics, foreign languages and literature, medicine, pharmacy, psychology, and sports medicine.
Villa in Abruzzo Italy
