Fiesole
[key], town, Tuscany, central Italy. The villas and gardens of this
tourist center are beautifully situated on a hill overlooking the Arno
valley and the city of Florence. An ancient Etruscan town called Faesulae,
it was enriched with fine buildings by the Romans. In 63 b.c. the
town served as the headquarters of Catiline, the Roman statesman and
conspirator. Of note in Fiesole are a well-preserved Roman theater (c.80
b.c.); the ruins of Roman baths; a Romanesque cathedral (11th
cent.), with works by the sculptor Mino da Fiesole; and a Franciscan church
and convent (on the site of the Roman acropolis). On the lower slopes of the
hill is the Church of San Domenico di Fiesole, which has paintings by Fra
Angelico.
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