The Quirinal hill (RegioVI) in a bird’s eye view. With a height of 61m, the Quirinal is the highest of the hills of Rome. The origin of the name comes from the Sabine god Quirinus. An important way goes over the Quirinal hill, the Alta Semita that comes down the slope to Trajan’s Markets. At the top, we find the temple of Serapis and the Baths of Constantine.











As soon as we go past the temple of Serapis, we discover on the left side of the Vicus Altæ Semitæ, the chapel of the Lares. Behind the chapel, the temple of Salus that crowns the Gate of Salus (Porta Salutaris).








Leaving the chapel of the Lares, still on the left side of the Alta Semita, we notice in a short distance an important temple, the temple of Quirinus . This temple was considered as one of oldest monuments of Rome, was repaired in 293 by Papirius Cursor, burnt down in 43 and restaured by Augustus. The temple stood on an esplanade surrounded by a portico, the Portico of Quirinus. Two myrtles kept the entrance, the Myrtle of Plebeia and the Myrtle of Patricia. The house on the right side of the temple of Quirinus had been lived in by a famous writer, M. Valerius Martialis. Slightly slantwise, opposite to the temple of Quirinus, stood a small altar, built by order of the Emperor Domitian to commemorate the fire of 64 under Nero, the Altar of Nero’s fire. You can hardly notice it between the two buildings in the foreground.









Right in the middle of the Quirinal, on the Alta Semita, stood the imposing Mausoleum of the Flavians , which you will find in a more detailed description in the chapter “Mausoleums” of this site.






A little further than the Baths of Diocletian, the Porta Collina gives its name to the change of designation of the Alta Semita, it’s the Vicus Portae Collinae. Built alongside the Vicus Portæ Collinæ, the Porticus Miliarensis , which you see in the upper part of the picture, had an exceptional length, almost as long as the outside wall of the Baths of Diocletian which you see in the foreground.
Under this angle we can better figure out the imposing dimension of this portico. At last, at the top left of the picture, well embedded in the Forum of Sallust, stood a round temple that was dedicated to the Gens Flavia.







An idyllic place, with its gardens and its mansions. The north angle of the Porticus Miliarensis, which was built by Hadrian who supposedly loved to ride through it, overlooks the part of the Quirinal, where Sallust’s gardens and palaces spread.


















Global view of the north side of the Quirinal.






















Global view of the north-east side of the Quirinal.