An event that has been successfully renewed for so many years and this year is a cornucopia of about 80 events, the “Maggio Teatino” is back thanks to the cooperation between the municipal administration and the city’s cultural associations; officially launched on April 25, it includes a non-stop program of festivals and events until the end of June. It is a billboard full of wide-ranging cultural initiatives: from art to literature, books, concerts, theater, and exhibitions. The intent is to animate the historic architecture of the historic center to give them prominence and enhancement: in fact, they will take place inside the Villa Comunale, the Villa Frigerj Archaeological Museum, the Auditorium Parco della Civitella, the Marrucino Theater, the Barbella Museum, churches, squares and historic buildings.
Great start to the patronal festivities with the Palio de lu Ricchiappe in the afternoon and the show of the DiVersi Twins in the evening of St. Justin:May 11, in fact, is the Feast of St. Justin, Chieti’s first bishop and patron saint. This year it will again be celebrated in the renovated square, in the shadow of the 65-meter-high 14th-century bell tower, which has been redeveloped to host major events, starting precisely with the free concert by the group “The DiVersi Twins.”
The date is doubly important for Chieti because May 11, but 1181 B.C., would also date the birth of Teate, the capital of the Italic Marrucini people. According to legend, Chieti in fact owes its name to the hero Achilles who decided to dedicate the new city to his mother, the sea nymph Thetis. The city has remained grateful to him, so much so that he is depicted on horseback on the municipal coat of arms armed with a shield with four keys, symbolizing the ancient city gates.
Legends aside, Chieti is one of Italy’s oldest cities, inhabited continuously since pre-Roman times. This is evidenced by the remains of Italic temples used as the base of Roman temples in the ancient city forum or displayed and partly reconstructed inside the Civitella Museum. The events in May and June represent a not-to-be-missed opportunity to review or discover this town, also called the Terrace of Abruzzo because it is situated on a hill between the sea and the mountains, from the top of which there is a spectacular view of Abruzzo’s main mountain ranges.
