The Civitella

It rises on the top of the acropolis of Chieti , the highest part of the city, from which the northern slopes of the Majella massif can be seen.

The area was leveled in the mid-1800s to create a parade ground, which was then converted into a sports field. During the last two decades of the 1900s it has been excavated and this long search has allowed to bring to light the remains of a sanctuary (2nd century BC) - which included three temples - and the lower part of the amphitheater (1st century AD) .

The museum building, designed by the Abruzzese architect Ettore de Lellis, was inaugurated on November 18, 2000 with the aim of allowing adequate protection, enhancement and use of the temples, the amphitheater and the finds recovered during the excavations of the latter. , as well as artifacts from the collection of the scholar Vincenzo Zecca , from the Antiquarium Teatino and from the archaeological investigations of Chieti and the Marrucina area. The very wide chronological arc covered goes from the Paleolithic to 1800.

Outside, the visitor finds a modern structure which, while exploiting vast spaces on several levels, has a deliberately non-monumental impact, in which there is a pleasant contamination between ancient and modern.

Inside, the visitor can choose between three different museum itineraries , called " The beginning of urban history ", " From Rome to yesterday " and " The land of the Marrucini ".