Chiusi

This MedLibrary.org supplementary page on Chiusi is provided directly from the open source Wikipedia as a service to our readers. Please see the note below on authorship of this content, as well as the Wikipedia usage guidelines. To search for other content from our encyclopedia supplement, please use the form below:

Comune di Chiusi
Coat of arms of Comune di Chiusi
Municipal coat of arms
Country Flag of Italy Italy
Region Toscana
Province Siena (SI)
Mayor Luca Ceccobao (since May 26, 2002)
Elevation 4 m (13 ft)
Area 398 km² (153.7 sq mi)
Population
 - Total 8,125
 - Density 20/km² (52/sq mi)
Time zone CET, UTC+1
Coordinates 43°01′N 11°57′E / 43.017, 11.95
Gentilic Chiusini
Dialing code 0578
Postal code 53043, 53044, 53040
Frazioni Chiusi Scalo, Montallese, Macciano, Querce al Pino
Patron Sta. Mustiola
 - Day June 17
Website: www.comune.chiusi.siena.it
For the city in the province of Arezzo, see Chiusi della Verna

Chiusi (Latin: Clusium; Etruscan: Clevsin; Umbrian: Camars) is a town and comune in province of Siena, Tuscany, Italy.

Figure from the Etruscan Museum of Chiusi

Contents

History

For ancient history, see Clusium.

It was one of the more powerful among the Etruscan 12‑city confederation. Chiusi went into the Roman orbit in the 3rd century BC and took part to the Social War.

In 540 AD it was occupied by the Ostrogoths and was later seat of Lombard duchy. From the 11th century it was under the rule of the local bishop, and was later contended by Orvieto and, from 1231, Siena, belonging to the latter until 1556, when it was annexed to the Grand duchy of Tuscany.

Main sights

The lowlands around Chiusi are a treasure trove of tombs for this civilization. The Etruscan Museum of Chiusi is one of the most important repositories of Etruscan remains in Italy.

Other sights include:

  • The Romanesque Cathedral (Duomo) of San Secondiano, built around 560 AD over a pre-existing basilica, and renovated in the 13th century. It has a nave and two aisles supported by antique columns. The Sacrament Chapel houses a Nativity and Saints by Bernardino Fugai. It has a separated bell tower which was turned into a defence tower in 1585. Under the tower is a Roman swim pool dating from the 1st century BC.
  • The so-called "Labyrinth of Porsenna", a series of tunnels under the town, built in the 6th-5th century BC and probably utilized in Etruscan-Roman times for drainage of rain waters. According to Pliny the Elder (Naturalis historia, XXXVI, XIX, 91-93), the Labyrinth was part of a monument including the sepulchre of the King Porsenna.

See also

Transportation

Chius is served by a gate on the A1 Highway. It has also a station on the line Rome-Florence (Chiusi-Chianciano Terme).

External links


Wikipedia content modification information:

  • This page was last modified on 5 November 2008, at 09:17.

Wikipedia Authorship and Review

Wikipedia content provided here is not reviewed directly by MedLibrary.org. Wikipedia content is authored by an open community of volunteers and is not produced by or in any way affiliated with MedLibrary.org.

Wikipedia Usage Guidelines

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article on "Chiusi".

The URL for this specific entry is:

All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details). Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.