FÆSULÆ (now FIESOLE), in Ancient Geography, an important city of Etruria, situated on the side of a hill sloping down to the Arno, about three miles from Florence. It was a place of great antiquity, and in the old Etrurian times its inhabitants were famous for their skill in divination. Fæsulæ was a place of some note in the Gallic and Punic wars, and was afterwards selected by Sulla as a site for a colony of his veteran soldiers. These colonists, twenty years later, rendered themselves formidable to the Roman state by the support which they gave to Catiline when organizing his conspiracy, and the town itself was selected by the leader of the revolt for his head-quarters in his attempt to maintain himself against the armies of Metellus and Antony. The story of Catiline and his exploits became engrafted on the early legendary history of Florence, in which his memory is still preserved as that of a national hero. From this time Fæsulæ gradually sank in importance, and though
it offered a protracted and vigorous resistance to the arms of Belisarius, it finally fell into decay before the increasing power and prosperity of the adjoining Florence. It is said to have been finally destroyed by its powerful neighbour in the beginning of the eleventh century; but this is a point still contested among historians. The modern Fiesole is a small town with about 2400 inhabitants. It still retains, however, its ancient rank as an episcopal city; and its cathedral is a handsome building adorned with some good paintings and pieces of sculpture.