The Seven Hills of Rome

Rome was founded on seven hills. But when you visit the city today, it's not clear where these hills rise and fall. Rome's urban landscape has changed significantly since the area was first settled in the 14th century BC. Back then the area was populated by tribes, camped on these hills for protection from the fetid swampland below. In the 8th century BC these tribes banded together, and in the 6th century, they drained the valleys between the hills, laying the foundations for the city we see today.

In the 380s BC, the Romans enclosed their burgeoning city within the Servian Walls. Within 600 years, the city had expanded so much that the new Aurelian Walls were constructed to contain it. Rome's historic centre has since expanded considerably beyond this ancient nucleus, but the historic centre remains enclosed within the Seven Hills of Rome.

This article visits each of the Seven Hills of Rome and provides recommendations for what to see and do.

Esquiline Hill

The Esquiline was the largest of the Seven Hills of Rome. A sprawling necropolis (burial ground) during the early days of the Republic, by the 1st century BC the Esquiline Hill had become a fashionable residential district and home of the aristocracy.

This transformation was largely thanks to an Etruscan nobleman called Maecenas, the main propagandist and spin doctor of Rome's first emperor Augustus. Maecenas built sprawling Persian-style gardens on the slopes of the hill, traces of which you can still see today.

The Gardens of Maecenas on the Esquiline Hill by André Caron, Maquettes Historiques

The Gardens of Maecenas were soon followed by other senators with rich villas and gardens. After the Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD, the emperor Nero built a section of his Domus Aurea (Golden House) here. In an effort to destroy any trace of Nero's existence, the emperor Trajan built his baths on top, parts of which can still be seen today in the park next to the Colosseum called the Oppian Hill.

View of Rome's Esquiline Hill

The Esquiline Hill continued as an elite area with villas and huge gardens, until gradually after the fall of Rome churches and monasteries took their place. By the 9th century CE Rome had become a host town and the area reverted to a few villas, vineyards, and fields. A thousand years later the area was radically redesigned. 

What to see on the Esquiline Hill

At the summit of the Esquiline Hill is the Papal Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore which is the burial place of Rome’s most famous sculptor, Gian Lorenzo Bernini. It's well worth visiting for its 5th-century interior, complete with original mosaics, and a ceiling adorned with gold brought back from the New World by Christopher Columbus.

Another ancient site worth visiting is the Auditorium of Maecenas. It's only open upon special written request to the municipality, but the auditorium is a stunning space, preserving original first-century frescoed walls which formed the background of parties held by such historical figures as Maecenas, Augustus, and the emperor Tiberius.

Inside the Auditorium of Maecenas on the Esquiline Hill

Places to visit on the Esquiline Hill

• Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore
• Auditorium of Maecenas (open on special request)

Capitoline Hill

The Capitoline and Palatine are the most important of the Seven Hills of Rome. Archaeological discoveries show that it was settled as early as the Bronze Age (1300 BC). By the Archaic Period (700 - 500 BC), it was first the site of a citadel, with protective cliffs on all sides, and then of several temples, making it the religious focal point of the city and state.

Reconstruction of the Capitoline Hill in Imperial Rome. Model by André Caron, Maquettes Historiques

The largest and most important of these temples was the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus (6th century BC). Returning armies would end their triumphal processions here to thank the gods for their victory and offer spoils of war. You can still see the foundations of this temple from inside the Capitoline Museums.

Rome's Altar of the Fatherland occupies and obscures much of the Capitoline Hill

During the Middle Ages, the church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli was built on top of the ancient arx, or citadel (facing Piazza Venezia), later Palazzo Senatorio (city hall) was built on top of the Tabularium, an ancient record office that overlooks the Roman Forum. The Palazzo dei Conservatori (seat of the magistrates) was built on top of the temple to Jupiter.  

In the 1530s, Michelangelo redesigned the area to become Rome's first organized public square: Piazza del Campidoglio. It's an impressive area with a bronze equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius in the centre (this one is a replica; the original is inside the Capitoline Museums) with a grand stairway leading down to Piazza Venezia. By the end of the 1800s, much of the Capitoline Hill was occupied (or obscured) by the enormous neoclassical Altar of the Fatherland which was built to glorify the unification of Italy. 

Today these buildings house the Capitoline Museums, which boasts a staggering collection of ancient statues, inscriptions, artefacts and more which were all discovered in Rome.

Places to visit on the Capitoline Hill

• Capitoline Museums
• Altar of the Fatherland (Vittoriano Monument)
• Basilica di Santa Maria in Ara Coeli
• Mamertine Prison
• Tarpeian Rock

Aventine Hill

According to legend, the Aventine Hill is where Remus wanted to found his city and is where he set up his augurs to read the passing flight of birds. It was situated outside the sacred boundary (pomerium) established by Remus' fratricidal brother, Romulus, who slayed Remus to become the first king of Rome. 

During the Roman Republic, the senate built a temple for the so-called Aventine Triad of Ceres, Liber, and Libera, patron deities of the Roman commoners or plebs; from this point on the hill was associated with the lower classes of Rome as well as foreigners looking to join Rome - many foreign cults had temples on the Aventine Hill.

The Aventine Hill today

Of the Seven Hills of Rome, the Aventine is the greenest, most residential, and most aspirational area for Rome's rich and famous. The Aventine Hill is perfect for a slow-paced stroll with palaces, churches, and gardens. Its main attraction is the Orange Garden, a stunning open space leading to a viewing platform over the city. Visit in May when Rome is in full bloom for a really romantic experience.

On the left of the Orange Garden is the ancient Basilica of Santa Sabina, the oldest church in Rome which still retains its original structure. Its wooden doors date to the 5th century CE but its rather bare interior was renovated in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Walk around the Aventine Hill and you'll notice a small square with a long line of people. They're queuing up to see the not-so-secret keyhole of the Villa of the Knights of Malta through which you can peek a picture postcard view of the Dome of St Peter’s Basilica. 

View of St. Peter's Basilica from the 'Secret Keyhole' on the Aventine Hill

Places to visit on the Aventine Hill

• Orange Garden
• Secret Keyhole of the Knights of Malta
• Basilica of Santa Sabina
• Chiesa Santa Maria del Priorato

Caelian Hill

The Caelian Hill has been mostly lost thanks to centuries of occupation. The Caelian starts at the Colosseum and rises up to the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano - the first church built by Constantine and still the most important church in Rome. Constantine was emperor during the rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire. The other side of the hill is occupied by the great baths of Caracalla.

Reconstruction of the Caelian Hill by André Caron, Maquettes Historiques

By the 1st century BC, the Caelian Hill was a wealthy residential area where, according to Jerome, the emperor Marcus Aurelius was born. In the first century CE, the Temple of Claudius was built on a slightly wooded outcropping of the hill which faces the Colosseum and the Arch of Constantine. 

Later a monumental food market was built for residents and further up the hill Trajan and Septimius Severus built military barracks. During the repeated sackings of Rome by the barbarians, this area was mostly destroyed but thanks to the vicinity of the cathedral the area would fill up with churches.

Although the modern buildings conceal its history there are many interesting sites, including two underground treasures. The Basilica of San Clemente is a wonderful site and sits upon four levels of history, which you can visit on our Rome Catacombs and San Clemente Underground tour. Another underground site almost unknown to visitors is the remains of some frescoed remains of Roman houses under the church of San Giovanni and San Paolo which you can reach from Via Claudia. 

Check out our list of Underground Tours for San Clemente, the Colosseum Underground, and more!

Beyond the other side of the Caelian Hill is the enormous complex of the Baths of Caracalla which once covered over 100,000 square metres. Today thanks to virtual reality goggles you can enjoy a reconstruction of the most complete thermal baths still surviving in Rome which accommodated some 10,000 bathers at any one time. In the autumn the space becomes an outdoor opera theatre.'

Opera at the Baths of Caracalla

Places to visit on the Caelian Hill

• Baths of Caracalla
• Basilica of Santa Stefano Rotondo al Celio
• Gardens of Villa Celimontana

Palatine Hill

The Palatine and Capitoline are the most historically significant of the Seven Hills of Rome. According to legend, it was on the Palatine Hill that the she-wolf (lupa) had suckled the twins Romulus and Remus and later where Romulus founded the city of Rome. The Palatine Hill became the Beverly Hills of ancient Rome, where the noblest ‘patrician’ families lived – the descendants of historic families or clans that had settled Rome.

Reconstruction of the Palatine Hill in Imperial Rome. Model by André Caron, Maquettes Historiques

Anyone who was anyone in Rome lived on the Palatine Hill, including Cicero, Mark Antony, Octavian (Augustus) and Nero.

Later these important figures would be kicked off the hill by the emperor Domitian who seized their properties and built himself an enormous palace, this would become the imperial palace going forward (the hill and Domitian’s residence are where we get the word palace today).  We can still marvel at the remains of the enormous palace complex today with huge gardens once embellished by statues and fountains. 

Although centuries of pillaging and recycling have stripped the palace bare of the gorgeous coloured marble, in an area behind the museum you can still get a glimpse of the former luxury. This was Domitian’s winter living room, the beautiful alabaster and granite floor has mostly collapsed thanks to the underfloor heating system.

The remains of the Imperial Palace on the Palatine Hill

Tickets to the Colosseum include access to the Palatine Hill, and the best way to uncover the rich history of the area is through our small group Colosseum, Palatine Hill & Roman Forum tour. The viewing platform overlooking the forum is breathtaking and makes for stunning photographs, on the opposite side of the palace complex you have a view of the Circus Maximus and beyond.

Places to visit on the Palatine Hill

• Domus Augustana (Imperial Palace)
• Palatine Museum
• Church of San Bonaventura al Palatino

Quirinal Hill

According to Roman legend, the Quirinal Hill in the northeastern part of the city was Sabine territory, their kind resided here and altars to their god Quirinus which gives the hill its name were erected here. Later Julius Caesar owned parkland on the hill which was bought and developed into a landscaped pleasure garden by the Roman historian Sallust. Constantine built the last thermal baths in Rome here, lost today thanks to Rome's urban redevelopment during the Renaissance.

Reconstruction of the Quirinal Hill by André Caron, Maquettes Historiques

The ancient name of the hill lives on through Palazzo del Quirinale. Started by Pope Gregory XIII in the 16th century, this sprawling monumental palace was first the pope's summer residence before this moved to Castel Gandolfo in the 17th century. Since ancient times it was believed the hill was healthier with a better quality of air.  In 1871, after the unification of Italy, it became the home of Italy’s first Kings until the abolition of the Monarchy in 1946. 

Today the Quirinal Palace is a symbol of State and the residence of the President of the Italian Republic.

Italy's Presidential Palace on Rome's Quirinal Hill

What to see on the Quirinal Hill

In front of the palace is Piazza del Quirinale decorated with a pair of gigantic Roman marble ‘Horse Tamers’ found in the Baths of Constantine, and an Egyptian obelisk taken from the Mausoleum of Augustus.

The Quirinal Hill is a stately district today, with much to see and do. The former papal stables Scuderie del Quirinale were converted into a museum and often have exhibitions. Near the central fountain with reclining river gods are two churches designed by Rome’s most talented architects and bitter rivals. This is the church of Sant Andrea al Quirinale designed by Bernini and the Church of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane by Borromini, both constructed in the Baroque period but very different in their style and execution.  

On the other side of the hill, you’ll find Palazzo Barberini which houses the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica and Piazza Barberini with its artistic spurting triton fountain, again by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

Places to visit on the Quirinal Hill

• Scudiere del Quirinale Gallery
• Palazzo Barberini

Viminal Hill

The most overlooked (and frankly forgettable) of the Seven Hills of Rome, the Viminal Hill is a finger-shaped outcrop pointing toward the centre of the city. Situated between the Quirinal Hill and the Esquiline Hill, the Viminal Hill is home to the main train hub Termini Station and Rome's Opera House and encompasses the enormous square of Piazza della Repubblica. 

Piazza Repubblica marks the summit of the hill with its huge fountain in the centre and tall curved palaces cut through in the middle by Via Nazionale. The slightly curved palaces and the brick remains far across the road are part of the largest thermal bath complex in ancient Rome built by the emperor Diocletian in 298 CE.

What to see on the Viminal Hill

Face the front of Termini Station, and to your left is the most visible section of the Servian Wall - the first fortifications which surrounded the city over 2,400 years ago. Go inside the station and downstairs and you'll find another well-preserved stretch outside the front of a McDonalds.

What remains of the baths today is the planetarium; the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri designed by Michelangelo, who wanted to incorporate the ancient building; the museum of Diocletian’s baths; and Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, which are all part of the National Museum of Rome. They are dedicated to the history of the baths and Palazzo Massimo has Greek and Roman statues, frescoes, mosaics, and epigraphy.

Piazza della Repubblica on the Viminal Hill

Places to visit on the Viminal Hill

• Baths of Diocletian
• Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri
• Palazzo Massimo alle Terme (National Museum of Rome)
• Rome's Opera House