St Peter's dome framed by a keyhole on the Aventine
The Aventine is the most peaceful of Rome's hills, a quiet residential quarter of villas, gardens and early Christian churches. At its top, the Giardino degli Aranci, the Orange Garden, planted on the site of a medieval fortress of the Savelli family, offers from its terrace one of the most romantic views of Rome, over the Tiber and the domes, with St Peter's in the distance.
A few steps away, in Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta, designed by Piranesi, the gate of the Priory of the Knights of Malta hides a famous surprise: looking through its keyhole, you see, at the end of an avenue of hedges, the dome of St Peter's, perfectly framed. Through one hole you see three sovereign territories: Malta, Italy and the Vatican.
Tip: expect a queue at the keyhole at weekends; the nearby basilica of Santa Sabina, from the fifth century, has a carved cypress wood door among the oldest in the world.
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