Chieti is a historic city with preserved historical buildings from different eras. In the small center you can see both ancient churches and baroque churches.
The hill on which Chieti stands was already inhabited in Roman times. This is evidenced by the excavations that have uncovered, among others, roman theater. There are also ruins of ancient temples and an underground water tank. Monuments from Roman times can be seen at the National Archaeological Museum of Abruzzo and the Archaeological Museum of La Civitella.
After the fall caused by the Ostrogoth invasions in the 5th and 6th centuries, Chieti could not return to its former glory for a long time. In the Middle Ages, a cathedral was built here, the present appearance of which is the result of several reconstructions. The next heyday of Chieti was not until the 17th and 18th centuries and a large part of the local buildings comes from those times, incl. Villa Comunale, the baroque church of St. Klara and the rebuilt church of St. Francis.
