CHIUSI , 14km east of Montepulciano, is a useful transport hub, but this sleepy place is worth more than an hour or two's stopover - its quietly extraordinary cathedral, Christian catacombs and an Etruscan labyrinth could well entice you into delaying an onward journey. Chiusi Scalo , an unattractive suburb, is the default stop for all intercity buses, and is where the train station is located. The town centre, Chiusi Città , is 2km west; it's a short walk from the bus stop up Via Marconi to the main street, Via Porsenna , named after a semi-mythical Etruscan king of the sixth century BC. Here you'll find the modest Museo Etrusco (Mon-Sat 9am-8pm, Sun 9am-1pm; L8000/?4.13), with numerous sarcophagi, a few terracottas with traces of ancient paint, and the odd treasure - notably the enigmatic Gualandi Urn. If you're interested in seeing some of the Etruscan tombs outside town, ask one of the museum guards to take you (they hold the keys); the famous frescoed Tomba della Scimmia (of the Monkey), off-limits for many years, was opened to the public with much fanfare in May 2000 and is now visitable on pre-booked guided tours (Tues, Fri & Sat 4pm; tel 0578.20.177).

Outside the museum is Piazza Duomo, an elegant little square paved in glittering marble with the Romanesque Duomo , one of Tuscany's oldest, which was built in the sixth century almost entirely from Etruscan and Roman blocks. Inside is a wealth of decoration; although much of the mosaic work on the walls is nineteenth-century, the marble columns - each with a different capital - the mosaic floor and the alabaster font are all Roman. The Museo della Cattedrale alongside (daily: June to mid-Oct 9.45am-12.45pm & 4-7.30pm; mid-Oct to May 9.30am-12.45pm & 3-6pm; L3000/?1.55) has a small collection of silverware and codices, and gives access to the Labyrinth of Porsenna (L5000/?2.58 extra), which leads you through the atmospheric tunnels of the Etruscan water-catchment system below the piazza to a huge Roman cistern and then up inside the twelfth-century campanile. You can also arrange here to meet a guide at the entrance to the Catacombs of Santa Mustiola , 2km east of town, which were used by early Christians in the fourth and fifth centuries (tours daily 5pm; April-Sept also 11am; L6000/?3.10).

The helpful tourist office (April-Sept Mon-Sat 9am-1pm & 3.30-7.30pm, Sun 9am-1pm; Oct-March daily 9am-1pm; tel 0578.227.667) is opposite the duomo. There's one central hotel , the basic La Sfinge , Via Marconi 2 (tel 0578.20.157, fax 0578.222.153; L60,000-90,000/?30.99-46.48), with more options at Chiusi Scalo. The best restaurant is friendly La Solita Zuppa , Via Porsenna 21 (tel 0578.21.006; closed Tues), with an inventive menu offering lots of soups and items such as tagliolini al ginger . The gourmet-oriented Zaira , nearby at Via Arunte 12 (tel 0578.20.260; closed Mon in winter), is listed in various gastronomic guides for its pricey "Etruscan" fare - boar, pigeon and the like.