
The Viminal Hill ( ; ; ) is the smallest of the famous
Seven Hills of Rome
The seven hills of Rome (, ) east of the river Tiber form the geographical heart of Rome, within the walls of the city.
Hills
The seven hills are:
* Aventine Hill (Latin: ''Collis Aventinus''; Italian: ''Aventino'')
* Caelian Hill (''Coll ...
. A finger-shape cusp pointing toward central Rome between the
Quirinal Hill
The Quirinal Hill (; ; ) is one of the Seven Hills of Rome, at the north-east of the city center. It is the location of the official residence of the Italian head of state, who resides in the Quirinal Palace; by metonymy "the Quirinal" has c ...
to the northwest and the
Esquiline Hill
The Esquiline Hill (; ; ) is one of the Seven Hills of Rome. Its southernmost cusp is the ''Oppius'' ( Oppian Hill).
Etymology
The origin of the name ''Esquiline'' is still under much debate. One view is that the hill was named after the ...
to the southeast, it is home to the
Teatro dell'Opera and the
Termini Railway Station.
At the top of the Viminal Hill is the
Palace of Viminale that hosts the headquarters of the
Ministry of the Interior
An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement.
In some states, the ...
; currently the term ''Il Viminale'' means the Ministry of the Interior.
According to
Livy
Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditional founding i ...
, the hill first became part of the city of Rome, along with the
Quirinal Hill
The Quirinal Hill (; ; ) is one of the Seven Hills of Rome, at the north-east of the city center. It is the location of the official residence of the Italian head of state, who resides in the Quirinal Palace; by metonymy "the Quirinal" has c ...
, during the reign of
Servius Tullius
Servius Tullius was the legendary sixth king of Rome, and the second of its Etruscan dynasty. He reigned from 578 to 535 BC. Roman and Greek sources describe his servile origins and later marriage to a daughter of Lucius Tarquinius Pri ...
, Rome's sixth king, in the 6th century BC. The name of the hill derives from Latin ''viminalis'' (“pertaining to
osiers”), from ''
vimen'' (“a pliant
twig
A twig is a thin, often short, branch of a tree or Bush (plant), bush.
The buds on the twig are an important diagnostic characteristic, as are the abscission scars where the leaves have fallen away. The color, texture, and patterning of the t ...
, osier”).
See also
References
External links
Samuel Ball Platner, ''A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome'':Viminal Hill
Seven hills of Rome
Rome R. I Monti
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