The main street of Chiusi
Detail of the Tomb of the Monkey
Historical notes on the town
Chiusi is a well-known tourist town set in an area of great historical interest. It is just 2 kilometres from the La Torre Umbra holiday farm and since ancient times has been the main hub of the valley. Under the Etruscans, who gave the town its recognised origins and the name Charmars, it reached its maximum level of splendour between the 7th and 6th century B.C.
The town increased in commercial importance from the 2nd century A. D, helped by its position on the navigable Chiana river that flows into the Paglia near Orvieto and then into the Tiber. This gave direct access to Rome and the consular roads, thereby enabling intense commercial and agricultural activity.
From the11th century the Valdichiana became an unhealthy marshland and Chiusi fell into decline with much of the population moving away. However, when Bishop Teobaldo II became the seignior at the end of the 12th century he reorganised much of the town: the religious and political centre to the west (around the new cathedral of San Secondino); the military command post on the western hill, the highest part of the old city; and distribution of the townspeople along Via Porsenna and Via Arunte.
The 19th century saw many reforms and reclamation of land in the valley, which led to the building of the railway to Siena (1826) and a new lease of life for the town. Present day Chiusi is famed for its history and gastronomy.
Among the many sights, we recommend a visit to: the Etruscan cistern that was built in the 1st century B.C. and is situated directly below the present-day church tower; tombs from the many necropoli dating from the 5th century B.C. (Tomb of the Lion and Tomb of the Pilgrim); and the National Museum that is rich in archaeological finds such as funerary statues, decorations and sculptures ranging from the Etruscan period, through the Roman age to the Medieval.