Mountain · Vatican City
Vatican Hill
Vatican Hill is the highest ground of Vatican City, rising about 75 metres above the sea. The gentle slope lies inside the smallest country in the world, surrounded on all sides by Rome.
Where is the Vatican Hill?
The Vatican Hill is part of the Vatican Hill, Rome.
You will find it in: Vatican City.
The story behind it
This is a mountain only in the sense that every country has a highest point: the Vatican covers less than half a square kilometre, and its summit is a rise of garden ground behind the great basilica. The hill stands on the right bank of the Tiber, on soft sand and clay laid down by the river long ago, which is why it is round and gentle rather than rocky. Much of it is taken up by the Vatican Gardens, where stone pines, palms, fountains and clipped hedges grow, and where parrots and blackbirds are often heard. Exactly which spot counts as the highest is not fully settled, and the figures given differ by a metre or two. The hill gave its name to the whole state, and the word itself is far older than the country around it.
Questions children ask
How high is Vatican Hill?
The highest ground of the Vatican is given as about 75 metres above sea level. Since the whole country is a city, the difference between its lowest and highest corner is only a few dozen metres.
Which country is Vatican Hill in?
The rise belongs to Vatican City, the smallest independent state in the world. It is completely enclosed by Rome, the capital of Italy, so a short walk leads from one country into the other.
Can Vatican Hill be visited?
There is nothing to climb, but the top part of the hill lies in the Vatican Gardens, which can only be seen on a booked guided tour. The square and the basilica at the foot of the slope are open to visitors on most days.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
Last checked: