is an ancient city and ''
Comune '' in the
Lazio region of central
Italy , the capital of
Viterbo Province . It is approximately 100 kilometers (60 mi) north of
Rome on the
Via Cassia , and it is surrounded by the
Monti Cimini and
Monti Volsini .
Apart from agriculture, the main resources of Viterbo's area are pottery, marble and wood. The town also hosts the Italian gold reserves, an important Academy of Fine Arts, the
University Of Tuscia and is located in a wide thermal area attracting many tourist from the whole central Italy.
Although Viterbo is very ancient, its precise origins are unknown. According to the notorious forger,
Annio Of Viterbo , it originated as an
Etruscan town called ''Surrena''. Under the baneful effects of local boosterism, this fabrication continues to be credited in certain quarters; but it has been demonstrated to be sheer invention, designed to endow his native town with an antiquity it did not possess.
At any rate, on the present site of Viterbo, or nearby, there was a little Roman colony (''Vicus Elbii''); whether this is the same centre referred to as ''Vetus Urbs'' ("Old City") in the Middle Ages is uncertain.
The first firm report of the new city dates to the
8th Century , when it is identified as ''Castrum Viterbii''. It was fortified in
773 by the
Lombard king
Desiderius in his vain attempt to conquer
Rome . When the
Popes switched to the
Frankish support, Viterbo became part of the
Papal States , but this status was to be highly contested by the Emperors in the following centuries, until in
1095 it is known it was a free
Commune .
In a period in which the Popes had difficulties asserting their authority over
Rome , Viterbo became their favourite residence, beginning with
Pope Eugene III (
1145 -
1146 ) who was besieged in vain in the city walls. In
1164 Frederick Barbarossa made Viterbo the seat of his
Antipope Paschal III . Three years later he gave it the title of "city" and used its militias against Rome. In
1172 Viterbo started its expansion, destroying the old city of ''Ferentum'' and conquering other lands: in this age it was a rich and prosperous commune, one of the most important of Central Italy, with a population of almost 60,000.
In
1207 ,
Pope Innocent III held a council in the cathedral, but the city was later excommunicated as favourite seat of the heretical
Patari and even defeated by the Romans. In
1210 , however, Viterbo managed to defeat the Emperor
Otto IV and was again in war against Rome.
In the
13th Century it was ruled alternately by the tyrants of the Gatti and
Di Vico families.
Frederik II drew Viterbo to the
Ghibelline side in
1240 , but when the citizens expelled his turbulent German troops in
1243 he returned and
Besieged the city, but in vain. From that point Viterbo was always a loyal
Guelph . Between
1257 and
1261 it was the seat of
Pope Alexander IV , who also died here. His successor
Urban IV was elected in Viterbo.
, 2004.]]
In of
Swabia which was passing on the
Via Cassia , with the prophetical motto of the "lamb who is going to the sacrifice". Other popes elected in Viterbo were
Gregory IX (
1271 ) and
John XXI (
1276 ) (who died in the Papal Palace when the floor of his room crumbled down),
Nicholas III and the
French Martin IV . The Viterbese, who did not agree with the election of a foreigner directed by the
King Of Naples ,
Charles I Of Anjou , invaded the cathedral where the
Conclave was held, arresting two of the cardinals. They were subsequently excommunicated, and the Popes avoided Viterbo for 86 years.
Without the Popes, the city fell into the hands of the
Di Vico s. In the
14th Century ,
Giovanni Di Vico had created a seignory extending to
Civitavecchia ,
Tarquinia ,
Bolsena ,
Orvieto ,
Todi ,
Narni and
Amelia . His dominion was crushed by Cardinal
Gil De Albornoz in
1354 , sent by the
Avignonese popes to recover the
Papal States , who built the Castle. In
1375 the city gave its keys to
Francesco Di Vico , son of the previous tyrant, but thirteen years later the people killed him and assigned the city first to
Pope Urban VI , and then to
Giovanni Di Sciarra Di Vico , Francesco's cousin. But
Pope Boniface IX 's troops drove him away in
1396 and established a firm Papal suzerainty over the city. The last Di Vico to hold power in Viterbo was Giacomo, who was defeated in
1431 .
Thenceforth Viterbo became a city of secondary importance, following the vicissitudes of the
Papal States and becoming part of
Italy in
1871 .
Viterbo's beautiful historic center is
Medieval ; it is one of the best preserved medieval towns of central Italy. Many of the older buildings (particularly churches) are built on top of ancient ruins, recognizable by their large stones, 50 centimeters to a side.
The main attraction of Viterbo is the Papal Palace , that served as a country residence and a repair in time of trouble in Rome. The columns of the palace are spolia from a Roman temple.
The second most important monument of the city is the of S. Lorenzo. It was erected in
Romanesque style by
Lombard architects over a temple of
Hercules . It was variously rebuilt from the
16th Century on, and was heavily damaged in
1944 by Allied bombs. The notable
Gothic belfry is from the first half of the
14th Century , and shows influence of
Senese artists. The church houses the sarcophagus of
Pope John XXI and the picture ''Christ Blessing'' by
Gerolamo Da Cremona (
1472 ).
Other notable monuments are:
- The (begun 1460 ), '''Palazzo del Podestà''' ( 1264 ) and '''Palazzo della Prefettura''' (rebuilt 1771 ) on the central square Piazza del Plebiscito. The Palazzo Comunale houses a series of 16th Century and Baroque frescoes by Tarquinio Ligustri , Bartolomeo Cavarozzi and others.
- The small Gothic church of , which has a rich portal.
- The Romanesque ( 11th Century ). Here the sons of Simon De Montfort stabbed to death Prince Henry Of Cornwall , son of King Richard I Of England .
- The ( 14th - 15th Century ), where Alessandro Farnese, the future Pope Paulus III , lived in his youth together with his beautiful sister, Giulia Farnese .
- The (castle).
- The Romanesque churchs of ( 12th Century ), '''San Sisto''' (second half of the 9th Century ), and '''San Giovanni in Zoccoli''' ( 11th Century .
- The in the old district, a typical patrician house of Middle Ages Viterbo.
- The , began in 1206 .
- The Gothic church of , with the sepulchre of Pope Adrian V , who died in Viterbo on August 17 , 1276 . It is considered the first monument by Arnolfo Di Cambio .
The (City Museum) houses many archeological specimens from the pre-historical to Roman times, plus a Pinacoteca (gallery) with paintings of
Sebastiano Del Piombo ,
Antoniazzo Romano ,
Salvator Rosa ,
Antiveduto Grammatica and others.
Santa Maria Rosa is the patron saint of Viterbo. The legend of Santa Rosa is that she helped to eradicate those few who supported the emperors instead of the Popes, around
1250 . San Lorenzo is the male patron saint.
The transport of the Macchina di S. Rosa takes place every year, on
September 3 , at 9 o'clock in the evening. The Macchina is an artistic illuminated bell-tower with an imposing height of 30 m. It weighs between 3.5 and 5 tonnes and is made of iron, wood and
Papier-mâché . At the top of the tower, the statue of the Patron Saint is enthusiastically acclaimed by the people in the streets of the town centre, where lights are turned off for the occasion. One hundred and thirty Viterbesi men (known as the ''Facchini'') carry the Macchina from Porta Romana through the each of the major streets of Viterbo, concluding with a strenuous ascension up to the Piazza di Santa Rosa, its final resting place. Each Macchina has a life span of five years, after which a new one is built.
Viterbo has two ''stemme'' (heraldic badges): The Lion and the Palm Tree. The lion represents
Hercules , one of the mythological founders of Viterbo. The palm tree was added sometime in the dark ages (4th-9th century AD) when Viterbo conquered and absorbed a neighboring town.
