Seven hills of Rome

The seven hills of Rome (Latin: Septem colles/montes Romae, Italian: Sette colli di Roma) are east of the river Tiber. They are very important to the history of Rome and are inside the walls of the city. These hills are part of the story about how Rome began, with twin brothers named Romulus and Remus said to have started the city there.

Today, visitors can still see the shapes of these old hills and learn about the stories that helped make Rome famous around the world.

For the film starring Mario Lanza, see Seven Hills of Rome (film). For the album by Mario Lanza, see Seven Hills of Rome (album).

Hills

The seven hills of Rome are important parts of the city's landscape. They are:

• Aventine Hill
• Caelian Hill
• Capitoline Hill
• Esquiline Hill
• Palatine Hill
• Quirinal Hill
• Viminal Hill

Other nearby hills, like the Vatican Hill, Pincian Hill, Janiculan Hill, and the Sacred Mount, are not included in the traditional list because they lie outside the ancient city's boundaries.

History

Tradition says that Romulus and Remus began the city on the Palatine Hill in 753 BC. At first, small groups lived on each of the seven hills alone. Over time, they worked together, turning the wet areas between the hills into busy places called fora.

To keep everyone safe, walls called the Servian Walls were built around the hills in the early 4th century BC.

Today, five of Rome’s seven hills—Aventine, Caelian, Esquiline, Quirinal, and Viminal—are home to important buildings and parks. The Capitoline Hill has the city hall, and the Palatine Hill helps us learn about ancient history.

Other cities like Sheffield, Istanbul, Lisbon, Providence, and Massachusetts cities such as Worcester, Somerville, and Newton also say they are built on seven hills, inspired by Rome.

Main article: List of cities claimed to be built on seven hills

In the New Testament

In the Book of Revelation, a story talks about someone sitting on "seven mountains". Many Christians believe this refers to the seven hills of Rome and connects to the old Roman Empire. Later, some Protestants thought these hills were linked to the Catholic Church because the Pope leads in Rome.

In modern literature

In 2019, the writer Lindsey Davis planned to write books about the seven hills of Rome. She finished this plan with the book A Capitol Death. This book is the seventh in the Flavia Albia series. The series began with The Ides of April, a story set on the Aventine Hill.