  We present a novel interpretation of the gamma-ray diffuse emission measured
by H.E.S.S. in the Galactic Center (GC) region and the Galactic ridge. Our
starting base is an updated analysis of PASS8 Fermi-LAT data, which allows to
extend down to few GeV the spectra measured by H.E.S.S. and to infer the
primary CR radial distribution above 100 GeV. We compare those results with a
CR transport model assuming a harder scaling of the diffusion coefficient with
rigidity in the inner Galaxy. Such a behavior reproduces the radial dependence
of the CR spectral index recently inferred from Fermi-LAT measurements in the
inner GP. We find that, in this scenario, the bulk of the Galactic ridge
emission can be naturally explained by the interaction of the diffuse,
steady-state Galactic CR sea interacting with the gas present in the Central
molecular zone. The evidence of a GC PeVatron is significantly weaker than that
inferred adopting a conventional (softer) CR sea.
