The noon cannon and the widest view over Rome
The Gianicolo (Janiculum) is the long hill that rises behind Trastevere and the Vatican, not one of the seven classical hills but the one with the best view of the city. In 1849 it was the scene of the heroic defence of the Roman Republic by Garibaldi's volunteers, remembered by the equestrian monuments to Giuseppe and Anita Garibaldi and by busts of patriots along the avenue.
From the terrace of Piazzale Garibaldi the whole of Rome spreads out, from the domes of the centre to the Alban Hills. Every day at noon a cannon fires a blank shot from below the terrace to give the official time, a tradition dating from 1847. Along the way you pass the Fontana dell'Acqua Paola, the "Fontanone", and the church of San Pietro in Montorio with Bramante's Tempietto, a Renaissance masterpiece.
Tip: walk up from Trastevere at sunset; the puppet theatre on the Gianicolo still performs Pulcinella shows for children.
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