Of Rome’s seven hills, the Capitoline Hill is the smallest and most important. Numerous history books have told its history, and dozens of thousands of tourists pass through it every day, but most visitors are unaware that they are treading on a real mystery.

We’re not here to tell you about Michelangelo’s design for the square, nor about the Capitoline Museums, some of the oldest in the world. Instead, this post is about five lesser-known facts about the hill.

Technically, the Capitoline Hill is not just one mound; the Capitolium is actually separated from another hill, the Arx, by a ‘pass’. The two hills are now seamlessly joined together — and what a junction! None other than the Piazza del Campidoglio. Michelangelo’s masterpiece makes it difficult to see where one hill ends and the other begins. Incidentally, the Church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli sits on top of the Arx.

According to legend, Romulus, the founder of Rome, established a sanctuary for refugees, fugitives and exiles to help populate his new city. This sanctuary was located at the “pass” between the Arx and the Capitolium, and was known as Asylum. Since then, the term ‘asylum’ has been used to describe sanctuary granted to individuals who fled their home country as political refugees or to escape persecution.

The cliff (rupe in Italian) on the south side of the Capitoline Hill near the Theatre of Marcellus was where traitors to Rome who had been sentenced to death were thrown off, as if to expel them from the city.

The name ‘Tarpea’ refers to a mythical maiden and vestal virgin who was persuaded by Titus Tatius, king of the Sabines, to betray the Romans by opening the gates of the hill in exchange for the armillae, the gold rings and bracelets that the invaders wore on their left arms. However, she herself was betrayed by the Sabines themselves, who threw their shields at her once inside, killing her – the name of the girl became one and the same for traitor. The area of the cliff, which in modern times became part of a small park, is under renovation and hopefully will be reopened to the public by the end of 2025.

Speaking of renovations, works are ongoing to allow visitors to cross the historic hill of Rome from one side to the other – underground! The Grottoni (literally “big grottos”) were, in a way not dissimilar from Naples, where tuff was excavated to be used in early Roman buildings. These big quarries were then repurposed to store wheat, as taverns, as artisans’ workshops, and finally as air-raid shelters during World War II. The site is scheduled to open to the public in 2026. Then, Romans and tourists alike will be able to explore a relatively unknown area of the city center.

Everyone has learned about the myth of the she-wolf who nursed Romulus and Remus, but just a few people know that wolves lived for roughy 100 years at the base of the Capitoline Hill – in a cage. So did eagles! They, however, were not free to roam.

On August 28, 1872, Rome’s City Council, chaired by then Mayor Pietro Venturi, voted to put a real she-wolf in a cage built for that purpose on the left side of the hill’s famous staircase. The council also hired and provided accommodation for a caretaker. To keep the she-wolf company, another symbol of Rome was added to a cage nearby: an eagle, also alive.

It was only in the 1970s that the cages were finally emptied of their “prisoners” – now they sit empty and can be seen from Via del Teatro di Marcello.