Monte Mario
Encyclopedia
Monte Mario is the highest (139 m) hill of Rome
, Italy
. It lies in the NW side of the city.
The hill was known as Mons Vaticanus or Clivus Cinnae in Roman times. The current name, according to some theories, comes from Mario Mellini, a cardinal
who around the middle of 15th century owned there a villa and several hamlets. In the Middle Ages it was however known as Monte Malo ("Bad Mountain"), due to the murder here of patrician Giovanni Crescenzio (998), whence, it is presumed, the modern name.
The eastern part of the hill is a nature reserve http://www.romanatura.roma.it/parchi/pineto.php/, on the west side lies the now upmarket district of the same name. Atop one hill is the church and convent of Santa Maria Rosario. On the hilltop, now occupying the site of the 15th century Villa Mellini, is the Monte Mario Observatory
, part of the Rome Observatory
, and the Museo Astronomico Copernicano. This location (12°27'8.4"E ) was used as the prime meridian (rather than Greenwich) for maps of Italy until the 1960s. The side of the hill was the former site of the Villa Pigneto
built by Pietro da Cortona
. The ruins of the structure were razed in the 19th century.
The John Felice Rome Center, one of the four campuses of Loyola University Chicago
, is located on the hill on Via Massimi.
Although the highest hill in the modern city of Rome, Monte Mario is not one of the proverbial Seven Hills of Rome
, being outside the boundaries of the ancient city.
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. It lies in the NW side of the city.
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
who around the middle of 15th century owned there a villa and several hamlets. In the Middle Ages it was however known as Monte Malo ("Bad Mountain"), due to the murder here of patrician Giovanni Crescenzio (998), whence, it is presumed, the modern name.
The eastern part of the hill is a nature reserve http://www.romanatura.roma.it/parchi/pineto.php/, on the west side lies the now upmarket district of the same name. Atop one hill is the church and convent of Santa Maria Rosario. On the hilltop, now occupying the site of the 15th century Villa Mellini, is the Monte Mario Observatory
Monte Mario Observatory
The Monte Mario Observatory is an astronomical observatory and is part of the Rome Observatory . It is located atop of Monte Mario in Rome, Italy....
, part of the Rome Observatory
Rome Observatory
The Rome Observatory is one of twelve Astronomical Observatories in Italy. It consists of three sites: Monte Porzio Catone, Campo Imperatore and Monte Mario...
, and the Museo Astronomico Copernicano. This location (12°27'8.4"E ) was used as the prime meridian (rather than Greenwich) for maps of Italy until the 1960s. The side of the hill was the former site of the Villa Pigneto
Villa Pigneto del Marchese Sacchetti
The Villa Pigneto or Sacchetti, or also the Casino al Pigneto del Marchese Sacchetti is a villa in Rome, designed by the Baroque artist Pietro da Cortona. A second, plainer, Villa Sacchetti, now called Villa Chigi, is found at Castelfusano near Ostia and was decorated by Cortona...
built by Pietro da Cortona
Pietro da Cortona
Pietro da Cortona, by the name of Pietro Berrettini, born Pietro Berrettini da Cortona, was the leading Italian Baroque painter of his time and also one of the key architects in the emergence of Roman Baroque architecture. He was also an important decorator...
. The ruins of the structure were razed in the 19th century.
The John Felice Rome Center, one of the four campuses of Loyola University Chicago
Loyola University Chicago
Loyola University Chicago is a private Jesuit research university located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1870 under the title St...
, is located on the hill on Via Massimi.
Although the highest hill in the modern city of Rome, Monte Mario is not one of the proverbial Seven Hills of Rome
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 ancient city.The seven hills are:* Aventine Hill * Caelian Hill...
, being outside the boundaries of the ancient city.
See also
- Seven hills of RomeSeven hills of RomeThe Seven Hills of Rome east of the river Tiber form the geographical heart of Rome, within the walls of the ancient city.The seven hills are:* Aventine Hill * Caelian Hill...
- Aventine Hill (Aventino)Aventine HillThe Aventine Hill is one of the seven hills on which ancient Rome was built. It belongs to Ripa, the twelfth rione, or ward, of Rome.-Location and boundaries:The Aventine hill is the southernmost of Rome's seven hills...
- Caelian Hill (Celio)Caelian HillThe Caelian Hill is one of the famous Seven Hills of Rome. Under reign of Tullus Hostilius, the entire population of Alba Longa was forcibly resettled on the Caelian Hill...
- Capitoline Hill (Capitolino)Capitoline HillThe Capitoline Hill , between the Forum and the Campus Martius, is one of the seven hills of Rome. It was the citadel of the earliest Romans. By the 16th century, Capitolinus had become Capitolino in Italian, with the alternative Campidoglio stemming from Capitolium. The English word capitol...
- Cispian Hill (Cispio)CispiusCispius is the nomen of the Roman gens Cispia.-Cispius Laevus:The Mons Cispius, or Cispian Hill, is one of several summits of the Esquiline Hill in Rome. The grammarian Festus says that it was named for a Cispius Laevus of Anagnia, of the Publilia voting tribe . This Cispius may be legendary.-M...
- Esquiline Hill (Esquilino)
- Janiculum Hill (Gianicolo)
- Oppian Hill (Oppio)Oppian HillThe Oppian Hill is the southern spur of the Esquiline Hill , one of the famous Seven Hills of Rome. It is separated from the Cispius on the north by the valley of the Subura, and from the Caelian Hill on the south by the valley of the Colosseum...
- Palatine Hill (Palatino)Palatine HillThe Palatine Hill is the centermost of the Seven Hills of Rome and is one of the most ancient parts of the city...
- Pincian Hill (Pincio)Pincian HillThe Pincian Hill is a hill in the northeast quadrant of the historical center of Rome. The hill lies to the north of the Quirinal, overlooking the Campus Martius...
- Quirinal Hill (Quirinale)Quirinal HillThe 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 come to stand for the Italian President.- History :It was...
- Vatican Hill (Vaticano)Vatican HillVatican Hill is the name given, long before the founding of Christianity, to one of the hills on the side of the Tiber opposite the traditional seven hills of Rome...
- Velian Hill (Velia)Velian HillThe Velia — or Velian Hill or Velian Ridge — is a saddle or spur stretching out from the middle of the north side of the Palatine Hill towards the Oppian Hill ....
- Viminal Hill (Viminale)Viminal HillThe Viminal Hill is the smallest of the famous seven hills of Rome. A finger-shape cusp pointing toward central Rome between the Quirinal Hill to the northwest and the Esquiline Hill to the southeast, it is home to the Teatro dell'Opera and the Termini Railway Station.At the top of Viminal Hill...