View source for Province of Chieti

{{Short description|Province of Italy}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->
| name                     = Province of Chieti
| native_name              = {{native name|it|Provincia di Chieti}}<br />{{native name|nap|Pruvìngie de Chjìte}}
| settlement_type          = [[Provinces of Italy|Province]]
| image_skyline            = Palazzo_del_Governo,_sede_della_Provincia_-2015.jpg
| image_alt                = 
| image_caption            = Palazzo del Governo, the provincial seat
| image_flag               = Flag_of_the_province_of_Chieti.svg
| flag_alt                 = 
| image_shield             = 
| shield_alt               = 
| image_map                = Chieti in Italy.svg
| map_alt                  = 
| map_caption              = Map highlighting the location of the province of Chieti in Italy
| coordinates              = {{Coord|42|21|N|14|10|E|type:adm2nd_region:IT-CH_source:kolossus-itwiki|display=title,inline}}
| coordinates_footnotes    = 
| subdivision_type         = Country
| subdivision_name         = {{Flag|Italy}}
| subdivision_type1        = Region
| subdivision_name1        = [[Abruzzo]]
| established_title        = 
| established_date         = 
| seat_type                = Capital(s)
| seat                     = [[Chieti]]
| parts_type               = ''[[Comune|Comuni]]''
| parts_style              = para
| p1                       = 104
| government_footnotes     = 
| leader_party             = [[Democratic Party (Italy)|PD]]
| leader_title             = President
| leader_name              = Mario Pupillo
| unit_pref                = Metric<!-- or US or UK -->
| area_footnotes           = 
| area_total_km2           = 2599.58
| elevation_footnotes      = 
| elevation_m              = 
| population_footnotes     = 
| population_total         = 387649
| population_as_of         = 30 September 2017
| population_density_km2   = auto
<!-- GDP  --------------->
| demographics_type2       = GDP
| demographics2_footnotes  = <ref name=":0">[http://stats.oecd.org/ Regions and Cities > Regional Statistics > Regional Economy > Regional Gross Domestic Product (Small regions TL3)], OECD.Stats. Accessed on 16 November 2018.</ref>
| demographics2_title1     = Total
| demographics2_info1      = €9.551 billion (2015)
| demographics2_title2     = Per capita
| demographics2_info2      = €24,374 (2015)
| timezone1                = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset1              = +1
| timezone1_DST            = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset1_DST          = +2
| postal_code_type         = Postal code
| postal_code              = 66010-66012, 66014-66023, 66026, 66030-66034, 66036-66038, 66040-66043, 66045-66047, 66050-66052, 66054
| area_code_type           = Telephone prefix
| area_code                = 085, 0871, 0872, 0873
| iso_code                 = 
| registration_plate       = [[Italian car number plates|CH]]
| blank_name_sec1          = [[Istituto Nazionale di Statistica|ISTAT]]
| blank_info_sec1          = {{ISTAT|069}}
| website                  = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
| footnotes                = 
| image_seal               = Provincia di Chieti-Stemma.svg
}}

The '''province of Chieti''' ({{langx|it|provincia di Chieti}}; [[Neapolitan language|Abruzzese]]: ''{{lang|nap|pruvìngie de Chjìte}}'') is a [[Provinces of Italy|province]] in the [[Abruzzo]] region of [[Italy]]. Its provincial capital is the city [[Chieti]], which has a population of 50,770 inhabitants. The province has a total population of 387,649 inhabitants {{As of|2017|lc=y}} and spans an area of {{convert|2599.58|km2|mi2}}. The province contains 104 ''[[comuni]]'' ({{singular}}: ''[[comune]]''). Its provincial president is Mario Pupillo.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tuttitalia.it/abruzzo/provincia-di-chieti/|title=Provincia di Chieti|publisher=Tutt Italia|access-date=18 August 2015}}</ref>

Chieti's cathedral was first constructed during the 9th century but was reconstructed during the 13th century. The province contains the National Archaeology Museum of Abruzzo, in Italian the [[Museo Archeologico Nazionale d'Abruzzo]], which contains items from the area prior to Roman rule.<ref name="2002d"/>

==History==
It was first settled by the [[Osci]] people near the Pescara River. In around 1000 BCE it was conquered by [[Marsi]] and Marrucini people. The city was also lived in by the Greeks, who named it Teate. It was conquered by the Romans in 305 BCE but after the fall of Rome in 476 CE, [[Theodoric the Great]] gained ownership of the city and it was subsequently used as a Lombard fortress. The city was then owned by the Franks, the [[Italo-Normans|Normans]], the [[Hohenstaufen]], the Angevins and Aragonese rulers until strong control over the city was gained by [[Charles V of France]]. Chieti was made the capital of Abruzzo Citra under its period of rule by the [[House of Bourbon]].<ref name="2002d">{{cite book|author=Roy Palmer Domenico|title=The Regions of Italy: A Reference Guide to History and Culture|year=2002|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-313-30733-1|pages=10–11}}</ref>

The province of Chieti contains Ortona, a town founded by Fretani people for trading with the Greeks, which was the scene of a World War II battle between German and predominantly British and Canadian forces; over 2,000 civilians died and the town was largely destroyed.<ref name="2002d"/>

==Geography==
The province of Chieti is one of four provinces in the region of [[Abruzzo]], on the eastern coast of Italy. It is the most easternmost province in the region and is bounded to the northeast by the [[Adriatic Sea]]. The [[province of Pescara]] lies to the north and the [[province of L'Aquila]] to the northwest. To the south lies the [[province of Isernia]] and the [[province of Campobasso]] lies to the south east, both these provinces being part of the region of [[Molise]]. The provincial capital is [[Chieti]], situated on a ridge a few miles inland and just south of the [[Aterno-Pescara|River Aterno-Pescara]], which flows into the sea at nearby [[Pescara]].<ref>{{cite book |title=The Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World |edition=13 |year=2011 |publisher=Times Books |isbn=9780007419135 |page=76}}</ref>

There has been a movement by farmers away from the land and the area. The outflow has been greatest from the hilly and mountainous areas, where the holdings are small and worked by the families who own them. In the period 1951 to 1971, the number of people employed in agriculture in Chieti fell from over 80% to around 45%, the number employed in industry tripled to around 20% and the number employed in the [[Tertiary sector of the economy|service sector]], tripled to around 30%.<ref>{{cite book|author=Russell King|title=Return Migration and Regional Economic Problems (Routledge Library Editions: Economic Geography) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W5asBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA94 |year=2015|publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-52459-5 |pages=94–}}</ref>

== Main sights ==
{{More citations needed section|date=February 2025}}
=== [[Chieti]] ===
[[File:Chieti kirche 01.jpg|thumb|left|The bell tower of the Cathedral of Chieti]]

* The [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] Cathedral, re-built by bishop Attone I in 1069. Of that building only parts of the Romanesque crypt remain. The church was remade in the 14th century and the bell tower was enlarged. After several earthquakes, the church was rebuilt again in the late 17th-18th centuries in [[Baroque]] style.
* Oratory of Sacro Monte dei Morti
* Church of San Francesco al Corso, founded in 1239. The façade shows an incomplete Baroque restoration.
* Church of Santa Chiara

[[File:Guerriero di Capestrano - Museo Archeologico Nazionale d'Abruzzo Villa Frigerj - Chieti - Italy - 6 Feb. 2013.jpg|thumb|left|The famous [[Warrior of Capestrano]] in the National Archeological Museum of Abruzzo in Chieti]]

Under the church of SS. Pietro e Paolo and the adjoining houses are extensive substructures (in ''[[opus reticulatum]]'' and brickwork) of the 1st century CE, belonging to a building erected by M. Vectius Marcellus<ref>Probably mentioned by [[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]], H.N., II., 199.</ref> and Helvidia Priscilla. There are also remains of large reservoirs and of an ancient theatre. In the early 21st century, new archeological excavations are under way on the site of the former Campo Sportivo.

=== [[Lanciano]] ===
[[Image:Lanciano - Civitanova - Torri montanare.jpg|thumb|250px|The Torri Montanare]]
*Cathedral of Santa Maria del Ponte ("St. Mary of the Bridge"), so called because it is built on bridgework along a precipice: is the work of Michitelli (1619) and has some paintings by Pozzulaniello (Giacinto Diana). It houses also an 8th-century Byzantine statue portraying the Madonna, probably brought here during the [[iconoclasm|iconoclast]] controversy.
*Chiesa di Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the most important architectural sites in Abruzzo. Built in 1227 according to [[Burgundy|Bourgogne]]-[[Cistercians|Cistercian]] lines, it was updated in 1540 in [[Baroque]] style, with the addition of two aisles and stucco decorations (recently stripped off). The main gate is from 1317.
*Chiesa di San Francesco (1258), built over a pre-existing 7th-century church. The high altar houses the relics of the [[Eucharistic miracle of Lanciano|Eucharistic Miracle]].
*Chiesa di Sant'Agostino (1270). The façade has maintained the original rose window and the gate, while the single nave interior is a Baroque restoration.
*Chiesa di San Biagio (11th century) is the oldest church of the city. It has a bell tower and it's always opened on 3 February for the anointing of the throat, a Catholic rite linked to the cult Saint Biagio.
*Torri Montanare, a relic of the ancient walls (11th century). They consist in two massive towers, the most recent dating to the 15th century, offering a panoramic view of the area.
*Porta San Biagio (11th century), the only one gate remaining of the nine once existing
*Torre civica (19th century) was built over a pre-existing tower next to the cathedral. Nowadays it is a belfry and a clock tower.
*Torre Aragonese (15th century) was a tower along the ancient walls.
*Palazzo dell'Arcivescovado (16th century) is still the seat of the archbishop and houses a diocesan Museum.
*Botteghe medievali was a house built in 1434. It has two floors and on the ground floor there are antique shops, with external bank according to the Roman use.

=== [[Vasto]] ===
[[File:Campanile Chiesa Santa Maria Maggiore, Vasto.jpg|thumb|Santa Maria Maggiore church bell tower]]
The old part of the town (''centro storico'') features a number of interesting buildings and churches dating from the 12th to the 18th century, including:
*[[Vasto Cathedral|Cathedral of San Giuseppe]] 
*[[Santa_Maria_Maggiore, Vasto|Santa Maria Maggiore]]: largest and oldest church in the town, mentioned in a document as early as 1195, with a tall bell tower. Damaged by the Turks in 1566,<ref>Chiese di Vasto: Santa Maria Maggiore, 2014, at the URL: [https://web.archive.org/web/20120417072041/http://www.vastospa.it/html/la_citt%E0/ch_s_maria.htm]</ref> and by a fire in 1645, it went a thorough restructuring in 1735 in which it got the current shape. It hosts one of alleged Jesus' crown of thorns (Sacra Spina).
*[[Castello Caldoresco]]
*{{ill|D'Avalos Palace|it|Palazzo D'Avalos}}, which houses four museums, called {{ill|Musei di Palazzo d'Avalos|it|Musei di Palazzo d'Avalos}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.museipalazzodavalos.it/wordpress/?page_id=46|title = Il Palazzo}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.museipalazzodavalos.it |title = Musei Palazzo D\'Avalos - Sito del centro museale del Palazzo D\'Avalos - Vasto}}</ref>

Below the hill on which the town is located, the beach resort town of Marina di Vasto offers a large sandy beach and several hotels and other facilities. 
[[File:Vasto Marina, Vasto.jpg|thumb|left|260px|Marina di Vasto and the [[Gulf of Vasto|Golfo di Vasto]] in the [[Adriatic Sea]], viewed from [[Vasto]]]]

Further north the coast becomes rocky and features interesting pebble and stone beaches and coves, as well as the typical ''[[Trabucco|trabocchi]]'', that are typical wooden fishing machines of the Southern Abruzzo coast. <br />
Amongst the most interesting natural areas, also featuring a number of sandy and rocky beaches, is the protected natural area of the Riserva Naturale di Punta Aderci,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.puntaderci.it |title = Riserva Naturale Regionale Punta Aderci {{!}}}}</ref> whose beaches were voted in 2014 3rd of the top 20 beaches in Italy.<ref>Legambiente, 2014 http://www.legambiente.it/contenuti/comunicati/le-spiagge-piu-belle-dell-estate-2014-cala-degli-infreschi-camerota-e-la-piu-ap</ref>
[[File:Trabocco, localita' Canale, Vasto.jpg|thumb|right|''[[Trabucco|Trabocco]]'']]

=== [[Ortona]] ===
The origins of Ortona are uncertain. Presumably, it was first inhabited by the [[Frentani]], an [[List of ancient peoples of Italy|Italic]] population. In 2005, during works near the Castle, a [[Bronze Age]] settlement was discovered, and the Roman town largely coincided with this first settlement. Some sections of paved roads and urban walls, as well as some archaeological findings are the only remains of this period. Ortona remained a part of the [[Roman Empire]] i.e., the [[Byzantine Empire]] for several centuries, before it was annexed by the Kingdom of the [[Lombards]]. In 803 the [[Franks]] incorporated Ortona into the county of [[Chieti]]. From that date on, the town remained tied to Chieti and its territory.
[[File:Ortona 2005 -Castello Aragonese- by-RaBoe 01.jpg|thumb|The Aragonese castle in [[Ortona]]]]
[[File:Basilica san tommaso.JPG|thumb|left|220px|The [[Basilica of San Tommaso Apostolo, Ortona]], where are the remains of the saint]]
In 1258 the relics of the [[Thomas the Apostle|Apostle Thomas]] were brought to Ortona by the sailor Leone Acciaiuoli.  In the first half of the 15th century, its walls were built, and during this period Ortona fought with the nearby town of [[Lanciano]] in a fierce war that ended in 1427. On June 30, 1447, ships from [[Republic of Venice|Venice]] destroyed the port of Ortona; consequently the [[List of Sicilian monarchs|king of Sicily]] at that time commissioned the construction of a Castle to dominate the renovated port. In 1582 the town was acquired by [[Margaret of Parma]], daughter of Emperor [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]] and Duchess of [[Parma]]. In 1584 Margaret decided to build a great mansion, known as Palazzo Farnese, which was never completed due to her death.

After the establishment of the [[Italy|Kingdom of Italy]] in 1860, Ortona became one of the first sea resorts on the [[Adriatic Sea]]. On 9 September 1943, the royal family of the [[House of Savoy]] left [[Nazi Germany|German]]-occupied Italy from the port of Ortona. The defensive [[Winter Line|Gustav Line]] was established by the Germans at Ortona, extending towards [[Cassino]] on the opposite side of Italy. Ortona offered the Allies a supply port on the Adriatic and was fiercely defended by the Germans attracted the attention of that the international press in the struggle between the German paratroopers and the 2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade. This led to this battle being known as "Little Stalingrad".

=== [[Guardiagrele]] ===
[[File:Guardiagrele Santa Maria Maggiore Occidentale.jpg|thumb|left|West view of Santa Maria Maggiore]]

The biggest church in Guardiagrele is Santa Maria Maggiore of which it has been written:<ref>[http://www.borghitalia.it/html/vedere_en.php?codice_borgo=619 I Borghi più belli d'Italia<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
{{quote|text=The façade presents a splendid 14th-century gothic portal, among the most elegant in the Abruzzi Gothic style.  The Coronation of the Virgin sculpture group in the portal lunette is also magnificent, attributed to the school of Nicola di Guardiagrele.  Under the colonnaded portico, next to the lateral door, is the splendid fresco by Andrea De Litio (1473) portraying Saint Christopher. In the interior, completely rebuilt in the 18th century following an earthquake, crumbling stucco-work in the Baroque style and a shrine of the same period set off a 15th-century fresco representing the Madonna of the Milk.}}

In addition to Santa Maria Maggiore, there are several other churches and palazzi or mansions of various ages which are of architectural interest, including S. Nicola di Bari (founded in the 4th century), the convent of the Chapuchins (1599), Palazzo De Lucia (16th century), Palazzo Elisii (15th-18th century), the cloister of the Palazzo Comunale Piazza San Francesco (17th century) and Palazzo Marini (1391).

Museums include:

* Museo Civico (Civic Museum)
* Museo del Costume e della Tradizione della Nostra Gente (Costume and Folk Museum)
* Museo del Duomo ("Cathedral Museum"), in Santa Maria Maggiore
* Museo Archeologico ("Archaeological Museum")

==''Frazioni''==
{{main category|Frazioni of the Province of Chieti}}
<!---♦♦♦ Only add a location to this list if they already have their own article on the English Wikipedia ♦♦♦---> 
<!---♦♦♦ Please keep the list in alphabetical order ♦♦♦--->
*[[Brecciarola]]
*[[Giuliopoli]]
*[[Melone, Guardiagrele|Melone]]
*[[Piane d'Archi]]
*[[Pianibbie]]
*[[Saletti]]

==International relations==

===Twin towns – sister cities===
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Italy}}

The province of Chieti is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:
*{{flagicon|SWE}} [[Malmö Municipality]], [[Scania|Skåne]], Sweden<ref name="Malmö twinning">{{cite web|url=http://www.malmo.se/Kommun--politik/Sa-arbetar-vi-med.../Omvarld/Internationellt-arbete/Vanorter.html|title=Vänorter|publisher=Malmö stad|language=sv|access-date=6 November 2013}}</ref>

== Quality of life ==
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible autocollapse"
|-
!colspan="2" | Quality of life indicators according to ''[[Il Sole 24 Ore]]'' in 2019
|-
! Indicators
! Values
|-
!colspan="2"|Wealth and consumption
|-
|Value added per inhabitant
|€23,300
|-
|Per capita bank deposits
|€19,777.2
|-
|Average monthly mortgage payments
|€709.8 
|-
|Average remaining financial exposure
|€28,029.0 
|-
|Average price of new 100 m<sup>2</sup> apartments in semicentral zones of the capital
|€1150.0 per m<sup>2</sup>
|-
|Average monthly rental fee of new 100 m<sup>2</sup> apartments in semicentral zones of the capital
|€350.0
|-
|Sold m<sup>2</sup>/offered m<sup>2</sup>
|65.0%
|-
|Average old-age pension amount
|€981.3
|-
|Annual family expenditure on durable goods
|€2191.0
|-
|Per capita protests
|€9.7
|-
|Percentage of over 18 population with active credits
|38.3%
|-
|Average income per taxpayer
|€17,432
|-
|Income per taxpayer variation from 2007 to 2017
|1.4%
|-
!colspan="2"|Environment and services
|-
|Average per capita local governments social expenditure for disabled people, senior citizens, and minors
|€59.0 
|-
|Percentage of residents dismissed from hospitals out of Region
|15.0%
|-
|Air pollution in terms of PM<sub>10</sub>
|24.0 μg/m³
|-
|Family doctors/1,000 inhabitants
|1.1
|-
|Pediatricians/1,000 inhabitants aged from 0 to 15 years old
|2.7
|-
!colspan="2"|Justice and safety
|-
|Reported car thefts/100,000 inhabitants
|109.4
|-
|Reported home burglaries/100,000 inhabitants
|190.1
|-
|Reported rapes/100,000 inhabitants
|2.9
|-
|Reported crimes/100,000 inhabitants
|2679.0
|-
|Reported robberies/100,000 inhabitants
|20.2
|-
|Reported extortions/100,000 inhabitants
|11.4
|-
|Reported crimes associated with psychoactive drugs/100,000 inhabitants
|38.4
|-
|Reported frauds and informatics frauds/100,000 inhabitants
|265.1
|-
|Civil procedures/100,000 inhabitants
|2530.4
|-
|Percentage of cases pending more than three years
|0.1%
|-
|Average duration of civil procedures
|244.4 days
|-
|Defined procedures/new ones
|1.0
|-
|Reports of crimes associated with money laundering/100,000 inhabitants
|0.5
|-
|Reported fires/100,000 inhabitants
|7.8
|-
|Dead and injured people due to road accidents/1,000 inhabitants
|3.9
|-
!colspan="2"|Business and occupation
|-
|Regular immigrants/resident population
|0.1%
|-
|Unemployment rate (from 15 to 74 years old)
|11.3%
|-
|Youth unemployment rate (from 15 to 29 years old)
|30.2%
|-
|Goods exported abroad/GDP
|65.3%
|-
|Inactive resident population
|34.9%
|-
|Registered companies/100 inhabitants
|11.7
|-
|Innovative startups/1,000 capital companies
|3.3
|-
|Difference between new registered companies and ceased companies/companies registered in the former year
|0.1
|-
|Failing companies/companies registered
|1.4%
|-
!colspan="2"|Demography and society
|-
|Domestic net migration
| -0.6%
|-
|Mortality rate per 10,000 inhabitants
|11.8
|-
|Deaths due to heart attacks/1,000 inhabitants in five years
|3.1
|-
|Deaths due to tumors/1,000 inhabitants in five years
|13.5
|-
|Life expectancy at birth
|82.9 years
|-
|Average number of people per family
|2.3
|-
|Life expectancy at birth increase
|2.1 years
|-
|Households and unions/1,000 inhabitants
|497.3
|-
|Successful births/average resident population
|6.6 ‰
|-
|Population aged 65 and over/population aged 15–64
|0.391
|-
|Population aged 65 and over/population aged 0–14
|2.016
|-
|Difference between population that declares to become resident abroad and vice versa/1,000 inhabitants
|3.1
|-
|Years of schooling received on average by over 25 population
|10.4
|-
|Acquisition of citizenship/foreign residents 
|2.2%
|-
!colspan="2"|Culture and free time
|-
|Cinema seats/100,000 inhabitants
|1927.5
|-
|Libraries/10,000 inhabitants
|3.2
|-
|Restaurants and bars/100,000 inhabitants
|685.5
|-
|Shows/10&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>
|175.0
|-
|Book shops/100.000 inhabitants
|7.0
|-
|Gyms/100.000 inhabitants
|11.2
|-
|Per capita expenditure on shows
|€9.8
|-
|Percentage of population subscriber of ultra-broadband
|3.4%
|-
|Hotel beds/km<sup>2</sup>
|9.7
|}

== See also ==

* [[Monte Castelfraiano]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Province of Chieti}}
* [http://www.provincia.chieti.it Official website] {{in lang|it}}

{{Abruzzo}}
{{Province of Chieti|nocat=yes}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Province of Chieti| ]]
[[Category:Provinces of Italy|Chieti]]