The
Seven Hills of Rome are Aventine Hill (Aventino), Caelian Hill (Celio),
Capitoline Hill (Campidoglio), Esquiline Hill (Esquilino), Palatine Hill
(Palatino), Quirinal Hill (Quirinale), and Viminal Hill (Viminale). Vatican Hill (Vaticano) lying northwest of
the Tiber is not counted among the traditional Seven Hills but of course it
holds many historic treasures. According
to tradition Romulus founded the city that was named after him on the Palatine
Hill in 753 BCE.
The
Seven Hills were occupied by small settlements that participated in a series of
religious games, which eventually led to a bond of friendship between
them. In the early 4th century BCE,
walls were constructed around the hills to protect the city. Most of the important historic monuments,
buildings and parks are on the Aventine, Caelian, Esquiline, Quirinal, Viminal
and Vatican Hills. City hall is on the
Capitoline Hill and the main archaeological site is on the Palatine Hill.
I've
been fascinated with Rome since studying Latin in high school and visiting Rome
with my Latin class in 1972. This January
will be my seventh visit to the Eternal City.
On this trip I'm especially looking forward to exploring the Aventine
and the Vatican to research the lives of women in the early church. I plan to make a few side trips to see the
catacombs in Rome and Naples. I'll post
my itinerary as soon as it is finalized so you can follow along. Thank you for taking an interest in my
work.
