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The Alban Hills () are the caldera remains of a quiescent volcano in Italy, located southeast of Rome and about north of Anzio. The high Monte Cavo forms a highly visible peak in the centre of the caldera, but the highest point is Maschio delle Faete approximately to the east of Cavo and taller. There are subsidiary along the rim of the Alban Hills that contain the Lago Albano and Lake Nemi. The hills are composed of peperino (lapis albanus), a variety of tuff that is useful for construction and provides a mineral-rich substrate for nearby .
The ancient Rome called Monte Cavo Albanus Mons. On the summit was the sanctuary of Jupiter Latiaris, in which the celebrated the Feriae Latinae, and several generals celebrated victories here during times when they were not accorded regular Roman Triumph in Rome. The foundations and some of the architectural fragments of the temple were still in existence until 1777, when they were used to build the Passionists monastery by Cardinal York, but the Via Triumphalis leading up to it can still be seen.
In Roman times, the area was often used by the rich as a way to escape the heat and crowds of Rome, as it is today as shown by the many and country houses present.
Plutarch reports that in 406BC, Lake Albano surged over the surrounding hills, despite there being no rain nor tributaries flowing into the lake to account for the rise in water level. The ensuing flood destroyed fields and vineyards before eventually pouring into the sea. It is thought to have been a limnic eruption caused by volcanic gases, trapped in sediment at the bottom of the lake and gradually building up until suddenly releasing, causing the water to overflow.
There is documentary evidence which may describe an eruption in 114 BC, but the absence of Holocene geological deposits has largely discredited it as a volcanic event and instead the account is considered to be a description of a forest fire.
The volcano emits large amounts of carbon dioxide which can potentially reach lethal concentrations if it accumulates in depressions in the ground in the absence of wind. The asphyxiation of 29 cows in September 1999 prompted a detailed survey, which found that concentration of the gas at 1.5 m above the ground in a residential area on the northwestern flank sometimes exceeded the occupational health threshold of 0.5%. Eight sheep were killed in a similar incident in October 2001. (2025). 9780521866439, Cambridge University Press for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. . ISBN 9780521866439 citing
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