The Gianicolo is undoubtedly one of the most evocative places in Rome. The hill offers the opportunity for a walk that, starting from Porta San Pancrazio, reaches the Lungotevere. It can be reached from two different entrances: the first is located in front of the Porta di San Pancrazio.

The building that stands out on the right as you enter is the ancient **Villa Aurelia**, today the headquarters of the American Academy, which was donated by the American Clara Jessup Heyland who bought it in the early 1900s and had it restored. Proceeding, you encounter the **House of Michelangelo**, because it reproduces the façade of the Buonarroti residence in Macel del Corvi on the Capitol, demolished to make way for the Altar of the Fatherland.

The second access starts from the **Fontana dell'Acqua Paola**, known to Romans as the Fontanone, and joins the first in the main square. Here the imposing **statue of Giuseppe Garibaldi** stands, created by Gallori in 1895, which, together with the **marble busts** of the Garibaldian heroes, gives a solemn imprint to this "Park of Memory" dedicated to the defense of the Roman Republic of 1849.

From the **Belvedere** of the main square you can enjoy one of the most beautiful and evocative panoramic views of the city, guided by explanatory panels placed along the balustrade, created thanks to the State Mint and Rome Capital on an idea of the L. Manara High School.

The characteristic **cannon** of the Gianicolo, which since the early 1900s has greeted noon with a blank shot fired, is located ten meters below the terrace, on a specially built rampart, which can be accessed from a path near the carousel. The descent offers a series of panoramic balconies.

On the right you encounter **Villa Lante**, now called **Villa Helbig** after the name of its last owner, Wolfgang Helbigh, who bought it in 1884 and restored it, returning it to its original charm. Together with his wife, he made this residence famous for the cordial welcome that reigned there, which allowed illustrious guests such as Liszt, Wagner, Carducci, Tolstoy and D'Annunzio to enjoy this enchanting place.

Currently, the villa is the headquarters of the Embassy of Finland to the Holy See. In front of the villa are the **equestrian statue of Anita Garibaldi** made by Mario Rutelli and the "Grilli" elementary school, which was originally intended for children who needed fresh air.

Descending further on the right, you can see the white **Lighthouse** of Francesco Azzurri, donated to the city by Italian emigrants to Argentina, from which you can enjoy an exceptional panorama (the Regina Coeli prison, the dome of St. Peter's,...).

Taking the dirt path that cuts the curve, you arrive at the **Amphitheatre of San Filippo Neri**, where the saint gathered the children. Continuing, you reach the famous **Oak of Tasso**, now entirely supported by metal structures, with the inscription that reads the phrase that refers to the stay that the poet spent at the convent of S. Onofrio, where Tasso died on the eve of his coronation in the Capitol as the supreme poet.

After passing the **Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital**, you reach the **Church of S. Onofrio** (inside is the monument to Torquato Tasso, a work by De Fabris), with the adjoining **Convent of S. Onofrio**. The walk ends at **Piazza della Rovere**. You can reach this by the road traveled by cars (which runs alongside the Pontifical University), or through the small and winding climb of S. Onofrio, more tiring but also more suggestive.

In February 1849, in the wake of the revolutionary movements that had shaken Italy and Europe since 1848, the power of Pope Pius IX was overthrown, forcing him to flee to Gaeta, and the Roman Republic was proclaimed, governed by a triumvirate composed of Saffi, Armellini and Mazzini.

France, called by the Pope, intervened, but was stopped right at Porta San Pancrazio by the Garibaldians. However, in June of the same year, General Oudinot managed to take control of Villa Corsini (inside Villa Pamphilj) and from there bombarded, until it was reduced to rubble, Villa Medici del Vascello, the last stronghold of the republican resistance. Once the Gianicolo was conquered, the cannons were aimed at Rome, which was forced to capitulate.

**The cannon** - According to an ancient papal tradition, a blank shot is fired from the Gianicolo every day to give Romans the signal of noon. The cannon was originally located at Castel Sant'Angelo on the bastion of San Giovanni, from where it was removed in 1903 and taken to Monte Mario on a trial basis. Only a year later, fearing that the blank shot would not be heard in all parts of the city on windy days, the Minister of War definitively transferred it to the Gianicolense hill.