CHIUSI – 12 km/18min. driving

Located in the far south of the province of Siena, on the border with Umbria and next to the one with Lazio, Chiusi it’s the perfect destination for all those who wish to immerse themselves in the history, but also to discover and enjoy the pleasures of a simple earth and generous, full of flavor, anecdotes and traditions.

The first evidence of a settlement in Chiusi from the late second millennium BC, when on its hills rise the first villages of farmers and shepherds. Thanks to the fertile alluvial soil and natural communication routes, both land and river, Chiusi- Clevsin become one of the most important Etruscan cities. The summit of his power is placed at the end of the sixth century BC when, under the leadership of King Porsenna, besieges and controls for a short period in Rome. In 89 BC, with the extension of Roman citizenship to its inhabitants, Chiusi fully entered the Roman orbit policy. Its continued flourishing even in the Imperial Age, during which Chiusi- Clusium is a major transit point on the Cassia consular road and the river Clanis , then navigable to the Tiber.

From the third century A.D. the city became an important center for the spread of Christianity, as evidenced by the catacombs of Santa Mustiola and St. Catherine and the Cathedral of St. Secondiano. In later centuries Chiusi is also home to a Lombard duchy, after which begins a long period of decline. The most critical moment of its history coincides with the swamping of the Chiana and only in the nineteenth century the complete reclamation of the valley the returns importance.