Pincian Hill
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Pincian Hill (Italian: Pincio, from Latin Mons Pincius) is a hill in Rome. The hill lies to the north of the Quirinal, overlooking the Campus Martius. It was outside the original boundaries of the ancient city of Rome, and was not one of the Seven hills of Rome, but it lies within the wall built by Roman Emperor Aurelian between 270 and 273.
Several important families in Ancient Rome had mansions and gardens (known as horti) on the Pincian in the late Roman Republic, including the Horti Lucullani (created by Lucullus), the Horti Sallustiani (created by the historian Sallust), the Horti Pompeiani, and the Horti Aciliorum. The hill was known in Roman times as Collis Hortulorum (the Hill of Gardens). Its current name comes from one of the families that occupied it in the 4th century AD, the Pincii.
Several villas and their gardens still occupy the hill, including the Borghese gardens. The Piazza Napoleone at the top of the hill provides views over the Piazza del Popolo, to which stairs lead, below to the west, and of the skyline of Rome to the south and west beyond.
