Territory - Best Western Hotel Parco Paglia Chieti

The National Archaeological Museum of Abruzzo "La Civitella" exhibits the finds relating to the land of the Marrucini, the goddess of Rapino, the materials that illustrate the history of Theatine archeology, the phases preceding the structuring of the Roman city, materials from Chieti from the III - II century. B.C. relating to the two religious poles of the city, the acropolis with its two polychrome pediments and the central sanctuary (the Tempietti), the dog Cerberus.

The National Archaeological Museum of Abruzzo has its headquarters in the former Palazzo Frigeri, in the center of the Villa Comunale. It exhibits the famous "Warrior of Capestrano", the stele of Guardiagrele, the gigantic seated Hercules from the temple of Alba Fucens, the discs of Alfedena, the numismatic collection.

The Roman Theater, in via Porta Napoli, is the largest existing monument in the Civitella district, but it has been freed and only partially excavated. The theater seems to date back to the first century after Christ and, originally, was circular in shape, with a capacity of about five thousand people. The theater was on one side adjacent to a small hill, on the other it appeared as a building covered with bricks alternating with stone. Access was via a large staircase. Today, what remains is the left part of the cavea complete with some internal paths.

The Roman Temples, datable to the 1st century AD, were found in the 1930s on the occasion of some works for the Church of San Paolo. There are three small temples, two with a pronaos, a cell and a crypt, while the third is missing from the pronaos. According to the analysis of the masonry, this last temple seems to date back to the third century, a period later than that of the other two. The foundations, on the other hand, reveal the presence of a building dating back to the IV-V century BC. with sacred function. The rooms of the temples host an exhibition of coins, inscriptions, sculptural elements and tombstones belonging to the territory of Chieti.

Of the Roman city there are also the magnificent baths, where we find a mighty cistern divided into nine rooms with barrel vaults, which was used for water supply by exploiting the sources present in the hill. In the bathrooms a magnificent floor is still visible, depicting a dolphin around a trident and two seahorses. The baths were a public place much appreciated by the Romans, especially in the imperial age.

At the end of Corso Marrucino, stands the splendid Villa Comunale, an elegant example of a nineteenth-century style urban park. Born from the amalgamation of the gardens of the noble villas of the Frigerj and Nolli families, inside there is the National Archaeological Museum of Abruzzo, in the neoclassical building, while the huge garden has become the main public park of Chieti, full of ancient trees , fountains, panoramic terraces over the city and towards Mount Majella. In the center, the Mazzini square with the monumental fountain and the arches with benches that show off in front of the main entrance. Along the avenue there is the Monument to the Fallen of the War 1915-18 created by the sculptor Pietro Canonica and inaugurated on June 19, 1924. The Villa was awarded the recognition of "Italian Wonder" by the National Youth Forum, partner of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, the European Youth Forum and the National Youth Agency.