History of Chiusi

The ancient city of Chiusi was formerly one of the twelve cities of Etruria and the site of the most powerful Etruscan tribes, governed by Porsenna  in the 6th century BC - Porsenna was an Etruscan king who greatly increased the power of the city, as recorded by the Roman historian Livy (59 BC-17 AD).The tradition tells that the tomb of the famous King was formed by a series of underground tunnels connected to form a kind of labyrinth. Becasue of this story, taken from the "Naturalis Historia" by Pliny the Elder (23-79), the tunnels dug under the historic core of Chiusi are known  as the 'Labyrinth of Porsenna' - although in reality it is only a drainage system that carries rainwater into different tanks.

According to recent studies Chiusi is of Umbrian origin and was called Camars, and was later an Etruscan town with the name Clevsi(n). It is  because of Livy that we know the historical Umbrian name - he wrote "Relicta legione ad Clusium quod 'Camars' olim appellabant” which translates as “Left the legion at Chiusi, which was once called 'Camars'.

Around the city the Etruscans built a massive wall, then enhanced further in the Roman period (fourth century BC). The Etruscan and Roman city had a considerable commercial importance since it is located near important consular roads such as the "Cassia Vetus" [“Ancient Cassia"], and for the trades that took place along the River Chiana, which formerly was connected with the river Tiber and therefore with Rome.

In medieval times Chiusi underwent the occupation of Vitige’s Goths in 536 then later that of the Lombards, until the mid-eighth century.

By the eleventh century the city had a population crisis because of the depopulation due to  the swampy area and Malaria, and from the twelfth century, it was the domain of Bishop Theobald.

It then became a Municipality until, in the fifteenth century, it fell within the control of Siena, and it witnessed a period of economic development and construction. In 1556 the city was annexed to the domains of the Medici, who started, under the Grand Duchy of Cosimo I (1519-1574), some important land reclamation work, which certainly profited the economy of the city and ended in the nineteenth century with the reclamation of the whole valley.

Further economic development was possible in the 19th century with the construction of the railway.The city was also affected by an important work of urban renewal that involved the renovation of old buildings and adding new architectural elements. The grand-ducal domain over the city ended with the unification of Italy (1861).

Origins of the city name

More than one explanation for the name Camars have arisen, such as that proposed by Panfilo Serafini ("Degli Abruzzi Primitivi," 1847, p. 117), who believed that Camars, meaning pig, or, better, “wild boar” came from a more ancient Umbrian name, perhaps “dascrm” or “sciamar”.This suggestion is supported by ancient coins showing together the pig and the moon (See "Annals of numismatics," under "Kam" and  “Camars” (p.292), where a coin shows “a hunter and  wild boar”).

When Chiusi became an Etruscan town, it was called "Clevsi(n)" a name which, perhaps, translates the Umbrian term “Camars”. The Romans, in turn, translated “Clevsi(n)” into “Clusium”, from which came the Italian word "Chiusi".