A curious practice in Rome: the firing of a cannon from the Janiculum Hill
If you want to see a very peculiar event in Rome, come to the Janiculum Hill a little before noon, as there you’ll be able to see a cannon shooting its bullet precisely at noon.
The firing of the cannon at midday is one of Rome’s most fascinating traditions, symbolizing an enduring bond between past and present that began in 1847.
The tradition began on December 1st at the behest of Pope Pius IX, who decided to adopt the cannon shot as a time signal to standardize the city’s time and overcome the confusion created by the ringing of Roman church bells.
This shot marked not only the time, but also a point of reference for the daily lives of Romans.
The firing of the midday cannon is so ingrained in Roman daily life that it has given rise to a curious way of distinguishing tourists from Romans:
- The tourist jumps, the Roman checks the time ☺️
