Seven hills of Rome

The seven hills of Rome (Latin: Septem colles/montes Romae, Italian: Sette colli di Roma) east of the river Tiber form the geographical heart of Rome, within the walls of the city. These hills have played an important role in the history and development of Rome since ancient times. They are closely tied to the city’s founding legend, which tells of Romulus and Remus, the twin brothers said to have founded Rome on one of these hills. Walking through the area today, visitors can still see the outlines of these historic hills and learn about the rich stories and events that helped shape one of the world’s most famous cities.

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. There are also other groups of hills linked to old Roman traditions, but they are different from the famous seven hills.

History

Tradition tells us that Romulus and Remus started the city on the Palatine Hill in 753 BC. At first, small groups lived on each of the seven hills separately. Over time, these groups began to work together, turning the marshy areas between the hills into busy marketplaces called fora in Latin. 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, monuments, and parks. The Capitoline Hill has the city hall, and the Palatine Hill is a key spot for learning about ancient history.

Other cities like Sheffield, Istanbul, Lisbon, Providence, and Massachusetts cities such as Worcester, Somerville, and Newton also claim to be 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 mentions someone sitting on "seven mountains". Many Christians think this means the seven hills of Rome and relates to the old Roman Empire. Later, some Protestants linked these hills to the Catholic Church because the Pope is the leader of Rome.

In modern literature

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