Chiusi, a town of Central Italy, 102 miles NNW. of Rome by rail, with a population of 1824, stands on an olive-clad eminence in the Val di Chiana, not far from the small Lago di Chiusi. In ancient times, under the name of Clusium, it was one of the twelve republics of Etruria, and the residence of Porsenna (q.v.). When Italy was overrun by the barbarians, it fell into decay, the whole valley was depopulated, and became the pestilential pool described by Dante. Since the improvement of the course of the Chiana (q.v.), Chiusi has begun to flourish again along with the whole district. But it is in connection with the discovery of
Etruscan antiquities that the place is chiefly heard of. Within this century immense quantities of these remains have been found in the neighbourhood in the grottoes that served the ancient Etruscans as tombs. They consist chiefly of sun-dried black earthenware vases, ornaments, relievos, and carved stonework, and are preserved in the museums at Chiusi and Florence. See Liverani, Le Catacombe di Chiusi (1872).