Province of Viterbo

The province of Viterbo (provincia di Viterbo) is a province in the region of Lazio in Italy. Its provincial capital is the city of Viterbo. In the north, the province is bordered by the provinces of Grosseto and Siena, in the north-east with the provinces of Rieti and Terni, in the west with the Tyrrhenian Sea, and to the south by the province of Rome.

As of 2015, the province has a total population of 321,955 inhabitants over an area of 3615.24 km2, giving it a population density of 89.05 inhabitants per square kilometre. The provincial president is Marcello Meroi and the province contains 60 comuni.

History
The area of the province of Viterbo contained a number of Etruscan cities including Tuscina, Vetralla, Tarquinia, and Viterbo. Viterbo was conquered by the Roman Empire in 310 BCE; despite this, minimal information is known of Viterbo until it was utilised in 773 CE by King of the Lombard Kingdom Desiderius as a base against the Holy Roman Empire. Matilda of Tuscany gifted the city to the papacy in the eleventh century. Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor was based in Viterbo as he planned to invade Rome in 1153, and Frederick I conquered the city in 1160 while preparing to attack Rome.

Despite Viterbo containing a papal court in the thirteenth century, rule over the city was desired by both the Holy See and the Holy Roman Empire; the papacy later established their rule over the region. The Knights of Saint John were expelled from Rhodes in the 16th century and were temporarily granted refuge in Viterbo before they could travel to Malta. Pope Paul III described himself as a citizen of Viterbo and formed a university in the city. It joined the Kingdom of Italy on 12 September 1870 and during World War II, Viterbo was heavily bombed.