# Aventine Keyhole and Orange Garden, Rome > The Aventine Hill holds two free and very different views. Through the keyhole of the Knights of Malta's villa gate you see St Peter's dome framed at the end of a green avenue, and the Orange Garden next door looks out over Rome and the Tiber. It's a 15-minute climb from the Circus Maximus; allow 40–60 minutes for both, ideally at sunset. Web page: https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/aventine-keyhole - City: [Rome](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome), Italy - YesGo score: 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 45 min - Opening hours: Keyhole always; Orange Garden dawn to dusk - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Free - Keyhole: Gate of the Knights of Malta villa, Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta - Queue: 10–30 minutes by day and at sunset; almost none early - Orange Garden: Parco Savello, dawn to dusk - Time needed: 40–60 minutes with Santa Sabina - Location: Aventine Hill; 15 minutes' climb from Circo Massimo metro - Coordinates: 41.88361, 12.47750 - Facts checked: 10.11.2026 ## Key facts - **1765** — Piranesi designed the Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta (source: English Wikipedia) - **3 states** — in one glance: the Order of Malta, Italy and the Vatican (source: Turismo Roma) - **Order of Malta** — the villa is the seat of the Order's Grand Priory (source: English Wikipedia) - **Parco Savello** — the Orange Garden's official name, laid out in 1932 (source: English Wikipedia) - **1 of 7** — the Aventine is one of Rome's seven hills (source: English Wikipedia) ## The Aventine keyhole On the quiet **Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta**, designed in **1765** by the engraver-architect **Giovanni Battista Piranesi**, stands the green gate of the villa of the **Knights of Malta**'s Grand Priory. The gate stays shut — but bend to the **keyhole** and you'll see a perfect picture: an avenue of clipped trees framing the **dome of St Peter's**. It's said you see **three states** at once: standing in Italy, looking across the Order of Malta's extraterritorial grounds, to a dome in the Vatican. Photographing it on a phone takes patience — press the lens right to the hole, turn off the flash and give the autofocus a moment to find the distant dome. ## The Orange Garden Two minutes away is the **Orange Garden**, officially **Parco Savello**: an avenue of bitter-orange trees leads to a **terrace over the Tiber** with one of Rome's best panoramas — the domes of the centre, Trastevere, the Janiculum and St Peter's in the distance. At sunset it fills up, but there's room for everyone. The garden was laid out in **1932** inside the walls of the Savelli family's medieval fortress. Legend says St Dominic planted Italy's first orange tree here; a descendant is shown in the neighbouring convent of Santa Sabina. ## What to see on the Aventine - **The keyhole** — St Peter's dome at the end of the avenue. - **Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta** — Piranesi's walls of obelisks and trophies. - **Orange Garden** — the terrace panorama. - **[Santa Sabina](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/santa-sabina)** — a 5th-century basilica beside the garden. - **Sant'Alessio** — a church with a Baroque courtyard nearby. - **Rome's Rose Garden** — on the slope towards the Circus Maximus, open in spring. - **Quiet lanes** — villas and gardens in one of Rome's greenest districts. > **Beating the queue** By day, and especially at sunset, a 10–30-minute line forms as people take turns at the gate. Before 9am there's almost none. A good plan: reach the keyhole an hour before sunset, then walk to the Orange Garden for the sunset itself. ## How to get to the Aventine 1. Metro line B to **Circo Massimo**, then 15 minutes uphill along Via di Valle Murcia past the Rose Garden. 2. Buses 23 and 280 to Lungotevere Aventino, then 10 minutes up the steps. 3. From the [Mouth of Truth](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/bocca-della-verita), 10 minutes up Clivo di Rocca Savella. 4. From [Trastevere](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/trastevere), cross Ponte Sublicio — 15–20 minutes. ## Is the Aventine worth it? Yes — free, peaceful and beautiful: Rome without crowds, all villas, gardens and convents. The keyhole is a one-minute thrill you won't forget, and the Orange Garden terrace is one of the city's great sunset spots. With Santa Sabina, it's an ideal evening walk after the [Circus Maximus](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/circus-maximus). ## Before you go Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser. - [ ] Come early or an hour before sunset - [ ] Press your camera to the keyhole, flash off - [ ] Watch sunset from the Orange Garden terrace - [ ] Step into Santa Sabina - [ ] Wear comfortable shoes for the climb ## Rome viewpoints: compare and choose Places in Rome with a view, rated by YesGo. - [Colosseum](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/colosseum) — YesGo score 73/100 (Yes, go) · 2 h · ≈ €18 - [St Peter's Basilica](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/st-peters-basilica) — YesGo score 71/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · Free; dome ≈ €8–15 - [Roman Forum](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/roman-forum) — YesGo score 63/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ €18 with Colosseum - [Circus Maximus](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/circus-maximus) — YesGo score 63/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free - [Spanish Steps](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/spanish-steps) — YesGo score 62/100 (Yes, go) · 20 min · Free - [Vittoriano](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/vittoriano) — YesGo score 61/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · Terraces free; lift ≈ €12–18 - [Capitoline Hill](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/capitoline-hill) — YesGo score 58/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free - [Castel Sant'Angelo](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/castel-sant-angelo) — YesGo score 57/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ €15–20 - [Palatine Hill](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/palatine-hill) — YesGo score 54/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ €18 with Colosseum - [Quirinal Palace](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/quirinal-palace) — YesGo score 50/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 15 min · Square free; tours by booking - [Villa Borghese](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/villa-borghese) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Free - [Tempietto](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/tempietto) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free - [Capitoline Museums](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/capitoline-museums) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · ≈ €15–19.50 - [Pincio](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/pincio) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Free - [Aventine Keyhole](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/aventine-keyhole) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free - [Villa Medici](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/villa-medici) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Paid, scheduled tours ## Palatine to Aventine The Palatine on your Colosseum ticket, then down to the Circus Maximus, the Mouth of Truth and up the Aventine to the keyhole. 1. [Palatine Hill](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/palatine-hill) — YesGo score 54/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ €18 with Colosseum 2. [Circus Maximus](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/circus-maximus) — YesGo score 63/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free 3. [Mouth of Truth](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/bocca-della-verita) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Donation ≈ €2 4. [Aventine Keyhole](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/aventine-keyhole) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free ## Don't mix it up The keyhole isn't a Vatican door: the villa belongs to the Order of Malta, and through it you see St Peter's dome. The Orange Garden isn't Rome's Botanical Garden, which is in Trastevere. ## Tips - Early morning means almost no queue. - Press the camera flat to the keyhole, flash off. - Sunset belongs to the Orange Garden terrace. - Santa Sabina next door is free. ## Questions ### Where is the Rome keyhole? On the Aventine Hill, in the gate of the Knights of Malta villa on Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta. ### What can you see through the keyhole? The dome of St Peter's at the end of an avenue of clipped trees. ### Is it free? Yes — both the keyhole and the Orange Garden. ### When is the Orange Garden open? From dawn to dusk. ### How do I get to the Aventine? Metro B to Circo Massimo, then a 15-minute walk uphill. ### When is the best time to go? Early morning for no queue, or an hour before sunset to finish at the Orange Garden. ## How we checked History of the square, villa and garden from English Wikipedia and Turismo Roma. It's free; the garden opens dawn to dusk. ## Sources - English Wikipedia, Villa del Priorato di Malta, Aventine Hill and Parco Savello - Turismo Roma: Giardino degli Aranci --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.