Gianicolo

The Janiculum rises above Trastevere on the west bank of the Tiber. Though not counted among Rome's traditional seven hills, it has long served as a lookout over the city and is closely associated with the defence of the Roman Republic in 1849 and the memory of Giuseppe Garibaldi.

Why it matters

The hill's position made it strategically important in Rome's history. Its modern identity is particularly tied to the fighting of 1849, when defenders of the short-lived Roman Republic resisted the French army. Monuments along the ridge commemorate the defence and the wider Risorgimento.

What to notice

The Fontanone, or Mostra dell'Acqua Paola, forms a monumental endpoint for the aqueduct restored under Pope Paul V. Designed by Giovanni Fontana with Flaminio Ponzio, it was built between 1610 and 1614; Carlo Fontana added its present basin in 1690–93. The terrace at Piazza Garibaldi is dominated by Emilio Gallori's equestrian statue of Garibaldi, inaugurated in 1895. Its pedestal reliefs include the defence of Rome in 1849 and the landing at Marsala.

Context and history

Ancient writers treated the Janiculum as a defensive height facing Etruria. The hill's name is also associated with the ancient deity Janus, though no cult of Janus is attested here. The Acqua Paola restored an aqueduct line bringing water from Lake Sabatine, modern Lake Bracciano. In the nineteenth century, the slopes became a focal point of patriotic commemoration, culminating in the Garibaldi monument unveiled on 20 September 1895.