Seven Hills and a Few Extra Ones Quiz

Answer: Michelangelo

There would be no Capitol in Washington DC without the original one - the Roman hill named after the Latin word for "head" (caput). The hill, which lies in a strategic position between the Forum and the Tiber River, was Rome's political and religious heart. According to Roman tradition, the god Saturn founded the Capitoline Hill's earliest settlement; towards the 6th century BC, a large temple dedicated to Saturn's eldest son, Jupiter, was built on the site where the human head that gave the hill its name was allegedly found. In the early Renaissance, the fortified citadel became the seat of the city's civic government. In 1534, Michelangelo was commissioned by Pope Paul III to completely redesign the piazza - now flanked by three imposing palaces, with the equestrian statue of emperor Marcus Aurelius placed in the middle of a 12-pointed star; a sloping road with low steps at regular intervals ("Cordonata") leads to the square from the street below. The three palaces now host the Capitoline Museums, as well as the offices of Rome's mayor. The medieval church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli is located next to the piazza, on the hill's highest summit, where Rome's acropolis (arx) once stood. On the northern slope of the hill, the huge, white Monument to King Victor Emmanuel II (Altare della Patria), nicknamed "The Typewriter" by Romans for its distinctive shape, is hard to miss.

Of the three incorrect choices, only Bernini was active in the Baroque era rather than in the Renaissance.

Answer: Domitian

The Palatine Hill is undoubtedly one of Rome's must-see spots - a vast open-air museum that offers spectacular remains of buildings from different eras, as well as idyllic green spaces such as the Renaissance Farnesian Gardens. The photo, taken from the Circus Maximus (which separates the Palatine from the Aventine), shows the ruins of the Flavian Palace, by far the largest of the buildings gracing this most central of the seven hills.

This huge, three-part structure was designed by the architect Rabirius and built during the reign of Domitian (81-96 AD), the last of the Flavian emperors, and the younger brother of Titus, whom he succeeded after the latter's untimely death.

The much more modest residence of Augustus, Rome's first emperor, is located nearby.

The Palatine Hill is also the site of the city's oldest buildings, three huts dating from the 8th century BC, and of the Lupercal cave, where - according to Roman mythology - the she-wolf suckled Romulus and Remus. Not surprisingly, the English word "palace" stems from the Latin "palatium", in turn derived from the name of the Palatine Hill.

Answer: Castor and Pollux

Named after an early Roman god (identified with Romulus), whose temple stood on the hill's eastern side, the Quirinal Hill has become synonymous with the imposing late Renaissance palace that has been the residence of the President of Italy since 1946. The vast square outside the palace, which affords a stunning view of the city centre, is dominated by a monumental fountain, the "Fontana dei Dioscuri" - the name (meaning indeed "sons of Zeus" ) by which the twin brothers Castor and Pollux were known in Ancient Greece. The colossal statues, also known as "The Horse Tamers", gave the hill its common Italian name of "Monte Cavallo" (Mount of the Horse). The obelisk flanked by the two statues is one of Rome's 13 original Egyptian obelisks, while the statues originally stood in the baths built on the Quirinal Hill by Constantine I, the first Christian emperor. Other notable buildings that can be admired on this stately hill are the 18th-century Palazzo della Consulta, which houses Italy's Supreme Court, the Baroque Palazzo Barberini (home to a noteworthy art museum), and the Baroque churches of Sant'Andrea al Quirinale (by Gianlorenzo Bernini) and San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane (by his arch-rival, Francesco Borromini).

Phobos ("fear") and Deimos ("terror"), mentioned as one of the incorrect choices, are the twin sons of Ares and Aphrodite, and also the names of the planet Mars' twin moons.

Answer: willows

The name "Viminal" comes from Salix viminalis, a species of willow tree (called "osier" in English) that grew abundantly on the hill's slopes at the time of Rome's foundation. In modern Italian, the word "vimini" denotes wicker, made by plaiting the tree's pliable twigs. Nowadays the Viminal Hill is synonymous with the Ministry of the Interior, built in the 1920s like many of Rome's government buildings.

However, the Viminal Hill's most prominent historical site is the massive complex of the Diocletian Baths, built towards the end of the 3rd century AD by the Dalmatian-born emperor. Most of the complex is now a museum; the photo shows part of the baths' vaults surrounded by much more recent buildings.

In the 16th century, the baths' "tepidarium" (where the temperature was neither too cold nor too hot) was turned into a church, the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli, by Michelangelo.

Another notable building on the Viminal Hill is Rome's 19th-century opera house (Teatro dell'Opera).

Answer: Santa Maria Maggiore

The highest and largest of the original seven hills, the Esquiline Hill may have been named after a species of oak ("aesculus", or Italian oak) that grew there in abundance. The hill's southern spur, known as Colle Oppio (Oppian Hill), is now home to a large urban park that looks over the Colosseum, and hosts the remains of Nero's opulent palace, the Domus Aurea (Golden House). The Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, founded in the 4th century AD, is one of the four major papal basilicas - the others being St Peter's, San Giovanni in Laterano (Rome's cathedral) and San Paolo Fuori le Mura. It is the only one of the original basilicas to have kept its characteristic Early Christian structure, though much of its current appearance dates from the 18th century. The basilica's name (St Mary Major, or the Greater) emphasizes that it is Rome's largest Catholic church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. A magnificent 14th-century campanile, the highest in Rome, stands above the church, whose interior features magnificent 5th-century mosaics. The photo shows the basilica's apse on Piazza dell'Esquilino, with its Egyptian obelisk. The Esquiline Hill is also home to Rome's Chinatown, situated between the main railway station (Stazione Termini) and the 19th-century Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II.

All the other churches are minor basilicas found in the centre of Rome; San Pietro in Vincoli (Saint Peter in Chains), famous for Michelangelo's huge "Moses" statue, is also located on the Esquiline Hill.

Answer: Hungary

Named after the Etruscan noble Caelius Vibenna (a friend and supporter of Servius Tullius, the sixth Roman king), the Caelian Hill lies between the Palatine, the Esquiline and the Aventine hills; both the Colosseum and the major basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano are located nearby. The hill's western summit is occupied by Villa Celimontana, a delightful public park that contains a small Egyptian obelisk. In the Middle Ages, a number of churches and monasteries were built on the Caelian Hill - including the minor basilicas of San Giovanni e Paolo, San Giovanni a Porta Latina, Santi Quattro Coronati and Santo Stefano Rotondo - the latter so named because of its circular plan. For all its austerely beautiful, early medieval architecture, Santo Stefano Rotondo's main claim to fame is the rather ghoulish, late 16th-century fresco cycle depicting in rather disturbing detail the grisly tortures inflicted on Christian martyrs. Definitely not recommended for children or impressionable people! The church is dedicated to two St. Stephens: the first Christian martyr and the first king of Hungary; the Hungarian chapel was built in the late 18th century, and is often visited by Hungarian pilgrims.

Though they are all considered part of Central Europe, none of the countries listed as incorrect choices are landlocked.

Answer: Order of Malta

The Aventine Hill was the most isolated of the seven hills, and the hardest to access. A residential area for affluent Romans in imperial times, the hill is nowadays a quiet, leafy neighbourhood, with elegant villas and beautiful gardens, as well as historic churches and other religious buildings. The Villa del Priorato di Malta, or Magistral Villa, hosts the embassy of the Sovereign Order of Malta to Italy. Located in a strategic position, directly overlooking the Tiber, it was originally a fortified monastery, which in 1765 was completely renovated by famed engraver Giovanni Battista Piranesi. The complex includes the elegant church of Santa Maria del Priorato, and can be visited on request. Many travel sites will have at least one photo of the keyhole in the villa's entrance door, from which St Peter's dome can be viewed in perspective, framed by a gallery of clipped cypress trees. Rome's municipal Rose Garden is also located on the Aventine Hill, as is the magnificent 5th-century basilica of Santa Sabina, the mother church of the Dominican Order. Next to the church stands the Giardino degli Aranci (Orange Garden), one of the city's loveliest panoramic points.

Neither the Jesuits nor the Trappists are military orders. The Knights Templar used to be one (as readers of "The DaVinci Code" will know), but they were suppressed in the early 14th century.

Answer: Piazza del Popolo

The Pincian Hill, or Pincio, lies north of the Quirinal, within the Aurelian Walls but outside the ancient city, overlooking the area known as Campus Martius (Campo Marzio, or Field of Mars). In Roman times it came to be known as the Hill of Gardens, because many important families had built their villas and gardens there. Though those ancient Roman buildings are long gone, the Pincian Hill is still one of Rome's greenest areas, and is now part of the extensive public park of Villa Borghese. In the early 19th century, renowned Neoclassical architect Giuseppe Valadier laid out an ambitious plan of renovation of the whole area. The large open space on top of the hill - dedicated to Napoleon Bonaparte - looks over the circular expanse of Piazza del Popolo, with its imposing Egyptian obelisk and the twin Baroque churches marking the entrance of the "Tridente", the three streets (Via del Babuino, Via del Corso and Via di Ripetta) branching out from the square. The name of the piazza, however, probably comes from the Latin word for "poplar" ("populus") - though the square itself is often used for political rallies (the "people" connection). The broad, leafy avenues of the Pincio, decorated with statues and busts of prominent characters of Italian history, are a popular destination for leisurely walks in good weather.

Piazza Navona is one of Rome's most beautiful piazzas, while Piazza San Marco is in Venice, and Piazza della Signoria in Florence.

Answer: Trastevere

Some of the most amazing views of Rome's historic centre and beyond can be enjoyed from various points on the Janiculum Hill, probably named after the two-faced god Janus. Being outside the city walls, for centuries the hill was a mostly rural area, with extensive parks and villas (such as Villa Doria Pamphili, Rome's second-largest public park) built by noble Roman families, as well as farms and religious buildings. In 1849, the Janiculum became the setting of the heroic fight of the revolutionaries of the Roman Republic against French forces fighting on behalf of Pope Pius IX. An equestrian statue of Giuseppe Garibaldi, the general who led the revolutionary forces (and then went on to greater things), stands on top of the hill to commemorate the event. Every day at noon a cannon, located not far from the statue, fires once in the direction of the river as a time signal. The historic neighbourhood of Trastevere ("trans Tiberim") - one of Rome's liveliest areas - is located at the base of the hill's eastern slope.

The three remaining choices are all Roman neighbourhoods. Parioli and Prati are both located outside the Aurelian Walls, though not far from the centre; Testaccio, on the other hand, lies at the foot of the Aventine Hill, and, like Trastevere, is a popular spot for sampling traditional Roman cuisine.

Answer: Villa Madama

With its 139 m (456 ft), Monte Mario is considerably higher than any of the Seven Hills. Known in Roman times as "Clivus Cinnae" or "Mons Vaticanus", it was probably named after Mario Mellini, a 15th-century scholar whose villa on top of the hill is now home to the Rome Observatory and astronomical museum. The western part of Monte Mario is now a densely-built residential area, while the eastern side is occupied by a wooded nature reserve. Among the trees stands Villa Madama, designed by Raphael in the early 16th century, and completed by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger and other notable Renaissance artists. The villa, built as a country residence for Pope Leo X, is now owned by the Italian government, and is used to host international guests and various events; it overlooks the sports complex of the Foro Italico. The "Madama" in the name refers to Margaret of Austria, Duchess of Parma, who inherited the villa from her first husband, Alessandro de' Medici, nephew of Pope Clement VII.

Villa Giulia, also in Rome, hosts Italy's largest and most important Etruscan museum. Villa Adriana, built by Emperor Hadrian, and the Renaissance-era Villa d'Este are both located in Tivoli, a town some 30 km (18.6 mi) north-east of Rome.