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           Chieti
Valley-Train
Destination
Itinerary
Calanchi
Abruzzo
Trentino
It's so nice to go traveling...
 The main street, its vital artery and meeting place, is also the starting point for any initiatives or new ideas; an elegant street, rich and illuminated, the home of history and tradition, Corso Marrucino has always been identified by the citizens with the town itself. A stroll down it tells us why. On it stands the churc of S. Francesco della Scarpa, originally a Gothic building dating from the XII century. Of the early construction there survive only a rose window in travertine stone and a few arches on the facade. The churc was completely restored in the XVII century. Adjacent to the churc is a convent: it preserves a splendid XIV century wooden statue depicting the Madonna and Child. The convent belonged to the minor friars: tradition relates that it was founded by St Francis of Assisi during his only journey to Abruzzo, to Penne. At Piazza Gian Gabriele Valignani, which stands about half-way down Corso Marrucino, is the Palazzo dell'Arcivescovado; it has stood there for over a thousand years, with some alterations. Beside it is a tower erected by Bishop Valignani around 1470. Nearby is the Marrucino Theatre built in 1813 on the site of the church of Sant'Ignazio. The majestic and austere theatre was closed immediately after the war. It opened again in the early 1960s after restoration. On the left side of the street stands Palazzo Martinelli Bianchi, a former Jesuit college and now home to the provincial picture gallery named after Costantino Barbella. The gallery preserves some paintings of great artistic and historical value: a XV century painting of the Abruzzi school depicting the Virgin reviving  the souls in Purgatory with her own milk; a portrait by the polish painter Reuther of Pope Celestine V  and Braccio da Montone; A St John the Baptist, A St Francis of Assisi in oils by the Spanish painter Zurbaran.The gallery also preserves some valuable modern works by Francesco Paolo Michetti and many other XX century painters from Abruzzi. Also in Corso Marrucino stands the Churc of San Domenico. The building is clearly Baroque in style and dates from the XVII century.

 

 

 Teatro Marruccino


 

Chieti's cathedral, is the pride of the town. It stands in Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II and it is reputed to stand on the site of a temple of Hercules. The architectural restorations have not always come off well, and its vicissitudes have followed those of the town.There are some splendid treasures preserved here, about whic more later.Before Chieti was put to fire and the sword by Pepin the Short, the church was dedicated to St thomas. It was restored around 84O by Bishop Theodoric. Around 1000 the townspeople, terrified by the arrival of the Saracens, found refuge in the cript. The consecration to St Justin took place under the Bishop Attone and the Saint's body was laid here around 1432. The chapel was gradually enriched with ornaments and goldsmiths' work: Archbishop Peruzzi decorated it with gold and marble. Monsignor Colantonio Valignani donated a gold chalic of incomparable artistry. In 1590 an earthquake destroyed much of the cathedral. The archbishop had to start from scratch: Matteo Samminiati was the first to get the work underway. The church was enriched with a porphyry baptistery and more gold and marble decorations. The work was continued by the Archbishop Brancia and in 1770 Archbishop Del Giudice decided on a complete restorations. The threeaisled church contains nine altars, not counting those in the chapel of the Sacramento. In front of the high altar, a sculpted marble frontal depicts scenes from the life of St Justin and St Thomas. The church was austere, elemental. Archbishop Ruffo Scilla did not like it though, and in 1877 he decided to lay a heavy hand to it: thus the Baroque style triumphed. The facade was redone, the paintings in the sacristy were painted over, the organ was removed from the wall in front of the high altar and a huge gilded frame replaced it. In the cript,reached via two flights of steps, are decorations and arabesques, paintings and sculptures, as well as the tombs of almost all the bishops and archbishops who served here. Monsignor Scilla did not like the crypt either, and the baroque triumphed here too, taking over from the simple lines of the original. The cathedral has a magnificent treasure, including a gided silver chalice of the Venetian school, while a fine silver statue of St Justine by Nicola Gallucci from Guardiagrele was stolen and is replaced by a copy. Also notable are two missals: one was illuminated by Theodorus of Ortona in the XI century ; the other  belonged to Giovanni Borgia, nephew of Alexander VI, and was presented to the cathedral by Guido de Medici.