Sandy Hobbs | Dear Mister Thoms # 33, 1994

IN DMT 25, it was noted that a number of towns are said, like Rome, to be built on seven hills: Aberdeen, Glasgow, Sheffield and Plovdiv (Bulgaria). To the can be added:

Bath: Marion Bowman informs us that she became aware of this claim when a Japanese student asked for help in identifying the seven hills mentioned in the guide book. Marion suggests that it would be more accurate to describe Bath as built in a hollow.

Lisbon: A travel guide in The Observer newspaper Life section, 2 January 1884, pp 24-28, states that “Lisbon not only claims the statutory seven hills, but covers them with patterned and lumpy cobbles”. Reading this prompted me to check a copy of the Michelin tourist guide Portugal (Fifth Edition, Harrow, 1989) . There, on page 83, one finds that Lisbon is said to be built on seven low hills”.