A Country Girl in Italy: The Aventine Keyhole

The Aventine Keyhole

On Aventine Hill, one of the seven hills of ancient Rome, there is a unique site that I've never heard of anywhere else in the world. If you look through an unassuming keyhole in an aged green door, you can see three countries. It's on the property of the Priory of the Knights of Malta. So as you look through the keyhole, the first country you see is Malta, the surrounding area is the country of Italy, and beyond that you can see Saint Peter's Basilica -- the Vatican, the smallest country in the world.

The Aventine Keyhole

I have always driven to the Aventine Keyhole, but you can take the Circo Massimo metro stop and walk from there to Aventine Hill. It is about a ten minute walk. The keyhole is located in Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta. There is no charge to look through the keyhole. There is a line that takes about ten minutes, even in pouring rain, as we encountered both times we visited. The piazza dates back to 1765.

The line to look through the keyhole during our visit in 2024

The keyhole in the green door

My mom looking through the keyhole in 2024

Our visit in 2018, my husband looking through the keyhole

The green door and keyhole on a sunny day in 2018 when we first visited the keyhole

2018

Unfortunately, this is what my iphone picked up through the keyhole in 2024. You can find professional photos online of the view through the keyhole, but I've never been able to capture one.

This is what my camera captured in 2018

2018

While visiting the keyhole, be sure to visit the Basilica di Santa Sabina all'Aventino and the surrounding Savello Park and orange garden. Enjoy the spectacular view of Rome and Vatican City from the terrace at Savello Park.