If you have never been to Knights of Malta Square on the Aventine Hill, now is the time to go. Here, in fact, is the famous Keyhole from which you can see St. Peter’s Dome. You will immediately notice the line of people waiting to be able to look at the optical effect with their own eyes.
Keyhole in Rome: more information
This is the lock of the large green entrance gate of the Villa of the Priory of Malta (or Priory of the Knights of Malta), an extraterritorial territory belonging to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.
The work, including the landscaping of the square and the Priory’s entrance, was created by Venetian architect and engraver Giovanni Battista Piranesi in the 18th century (precisely 1765).
Piranesi was commissioned by Cardinal Rezzonico, then Grand Prior of the Order of Malta, to renovate the entrance to the Villa. The result was a splendid little square in the Rococo style. The perfect and scenic view of St. Peter’s Dome through the keyhole, framed by the garden’s tree-lined avenue, is an optical effect intended by the architect to amaze the observer and create a “telescopic” view of the Basilica.
The Aventine Hill
It is one of the seven hills of Rome and is located in the southern part of the city, overlooking the Tiber and near the Circus Maximus. It is known for its history, natural charm and the presence of places of great beauty and interest.
Initially it was the hill associated with the plebs and a commercial area. In Roman times it became a residential area with numerous temples and places of worship. Legend has it that the hill owes its name to Aventinus, king of Alba Longa, who was buried here after being struck by lightning.
In the Middle Ages, after the destruction of 410 AD, it became an area of monastic settlements . Today it is an elegant residential neighborhood surrounded by greenery (let’s just say that buying a house in the area is not exactly cheap).
What to Visit (Main Attractions):
- Giardino degli Aranci (Savello Park): offers one of the most impressive panoramic views of Rome, with St. Peter’s Dome, the Tiber and the Vittoriano
- Keyhole of the Priory of the Knights of Malta
- Basilica of Santa Sabina on the Aventine (completed in 423 AD).
- Church of Santa Maria del Priorato: considered one of the earliest expressions of neoclassical architecture in Rome and the site of Piranesi’s tomb
- Roseto Comunale di Roma, formerly a Jewish cemetery, now an explosion of scents and colors
- Basilica of Saints Boniface and Alexis