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Vatican Hill

The Vatican Hill lies on the right bank of the Tiber, west of Rome's historic centre and outside the layout of the traditional Seven Hills. On it stands St Peter's Basilica, built over a cemetery that tradition identifies with the tomb of the apostle. In Roman times the area lay outside the walls and housed the Circus of Nero and burial areas; later, between 848 and 852, Pope Leo IV extended the walls to protect the basilica and the Vatican. Since 1929 part of the hill has formed the Vatican City State. Walking it lets you read in the urban landscape the transition from a peripheral area of ancient Rome to the centre of Christendom and an institutional seat.

Near Vatican Hill