The seven hills of Rome: the birth of a myth

v>nearby originated that city on the seven hills,
There are a lot of monuments that we can admirehowever they were not the traditionally known
going on a few days trip to Rome. Once in a lifetimeseven hills, but just some minor heights, that are the
even a short travel to Rome is obligatory.two of Palatine hill, the Caelian and the Velian, and
If you have never been in the Eternal City, thethe three Esquiline west heights.
advice is absolutely to start booking a room in oneOnly from the IV century A.D., thanks to the building
Rome hotel, so to be able to admire with your ownof the walls, built under the reign of king Servius
eyes so many architectural beauties to leaveTullius, an expanded city was enclosed, that
breathless. In this section we will talk about thecontained also the other hills, that means the
seven hills of Rome, one of the characteristics andtraditional seven hills.
one of the most famous tradition of this wonderfulSeven is a recurrent number in the ancient roman
city.mythology.  The Latin terms Septimontium (that
According to the tradition, Rome was built on sevenmeans seven hills) was used by the ancient Romans
hills, all located East of the River Tiber. These sevento celebrate a religious festival in the area of the
hills would represent so the heart of the city. Theseven hills, that would be exactly the area of Rome.
seven hill are the Aventine, the Capitoline, the Caelian,From the ancient time, this special festival, related to
the Esquiline, the Palatine, the Quirinal and the Viminalthe seven hills, was created, it seems, by Numa
hill. These hills did have a very important role on thePompilius, the second king of Rome after Romulus.
ancient roman mythology, religion and politics.This festival in practice was a long procession along
According to the tradition, Roma was founded bythe seven hills with sacrifices to celebrate the 27
Romulus on the Palatine hill. In fact, right on the topArgei’s sepulchers, that were on those hills.
and on the foot of this hill several finds have beenAccording to the tradition, the Argei were the heroic
found, these finds could be dated back to the age ofGreek princes who, arrived in Lazio following Hercules,
the first urban settlements. This finds can be alsowould have conquered the hills on which Rome would
easily admired at the Palatine hill museum, forhave been built from the Sicels and the Liguri
whoever wants to sleep in Rome for some days.populations.
The Palatine hill area turned out to be inhabited sinceThese are just some of the stories and legends you
the I millennium B.C. At the beginning there was justcould live fist hand, if you will decide to spend a few
a small village, all surrounded by wetlands. This firstdays in some nice Rome apartments. Rome is a
urban agglomerate stayed almost unchanged for awonderful city, at every step you could find some
couple of centuries, it was the so-called “Romaincredible monuments and some past traces. Histories
Quadrata” (Rome square), because of the roughlyand legends on this Eternal City are countless, from
rhomboid shape of the top of the hill it was locatedits foundation up to our days, Rome has always been
on. The expansion, in the VIII century A.D,  of thea magic city, in which everything can happen.
original unit and the fusion with some tribes located