A View Worth a Thousand Words

A Secret View on Aventine Hill in Rome

The Aventine Hill is one of the seven hills on which ancient Rome was built.

I first read about this in a Lets Go guidebook when I was planning my 2002 trip to Italy. This spectacular view is found by looking through the key hole in the gate at the Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta.

The above picture is from the Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta Web site.

Directions (per Lets Go):
The easiest way to approach the Aventine is from the western end of the Circus Maximus (the end farthest from the Circo Massimo Metro Stop) at P. Ugo la Malfa.

From here, V. di Valle Murcia climbs past Rome's swankiest homes and a beautiful public rose garden to a park with orange trees and a sweeping view of Southern Rome. Across the park, another gate opens onto the courtyard of the Chiesa di Santa Sabina with a porch of ancient columns and a towering campanile.

V. di S. Sabina continues along the crest of the hill to Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta, home of the crusading order of the Knights of Malta. Through the keyhole in the pale yellow gate on the right, you can see the dome of St. Peter's perfectly framed by hedges.

It is well worth the trek!