Keyhole of the Order of Malta — Attraction in Rome

I queued for an hour this afternoon to see this attraction. My friend and I took photos next to the keyhole. After about four minutes, a man began to knock heavily on the door with the door handle and said a few words, but I didn't understand because it was not English. I was concentrating on studying the brightness settings for taking photos, so I didn't notice someone yelling at me and my friend behind me. After 1 minute, I turned around and saw a group of people behind me starting to clap. It was not until then that I realized they were complaining with sarcastic applause that my friend and I took too long. I was shocked that they would treat other tourists in such a rude way, and I don't think 5 minutes is an inappropriate time. The tourists in front of me also had different viewing times, and the attraction was not managed by anyone, and there was no time limit stated. Because of the rude attitude of that group of people, I was very disappointed with the attraction...

One of the most magical secrets in Rome is… a keyhole. Yes, really!

If you go up Aventine Hill and stop in front of a big green door at the Villa of the Knights of Malta, you’ll see a tiny keyhole. Nothing special at first glance. But when you peek through it — surprise! — you see St. Peter’s dome perfectly framed by a long corridor of green hedges.

It’s not just luck — it’s a perfectly designed optical illusion, made to line up three layers of space: the garden of the Knights, the city in the background, and the Vatican. No one knows for sure who created it — maybe it was Giovanni Battista Piranesi in the 1700s — but it still works beautifully.

And the Order of Malta? They’re an ancient religious and military order, like modern-day knights, with their own sovereign territory — yes, even that villa is considered foreign soil inside Italy!

So next time you’re in Rome, look through that keyhole — it’s one of the smallest, most amazing views in the city. Uno dei segreti più affascinanti di Roma è… un buco della serratura. Sì, davvero!

Sali sul Colle Aventino e fermati davanti a un grande portone verde, alla Villa dei Cavalieri di Malta. Se guardi dentro il piccolo buco… sorpresa! Vedi la cupola di San Pietro, perfettamente incorniciata da un lungo viale di siepi verdi.

Non è un caso: è una illusione ottica progettata con precisione, che allinea tre livelli diversi — il giardino dell’Ordine, Roma sullo sfondo, e la cupola del Vaticano.

Non si sa con certezza chi l’abbia ideato — forse Piranesi nel Settecento — ma il risultato è ancora oggi perfetto.

E i Cavalieri di Malta? Sono un antico ordine religioso e militare, e quella villa è considerata territorio sovrano — come se fosse uno “stato” indipendente dentro Roma!

Quindi la prossima volta che sei a Roma… guarda in quel buco: è piccolo, ma ti regala una delle viste più straordinarie della città. یکی از جادویی‌ترین رازهای رم یه چیز ساده‌ست: یه سوراخ کلید!

اگه بری بالای تپه آونتینو و جلوی یه در سبز بزرگ بایستی — درِ ویلای شوالیه‌های مالت — یه سوراخ کلید کوچیک اونجا هست. اولش معمولی به نظر میاد، ولی وقتی از توش نگاه می‌کنی… گنبد کلیسای سن‌پیترو رو می‌بینی، دقیقاً وسط یه راهرو سبز از درخت‌ها!

این یه تصادف نیست — یه خطای دید هوشمندانه‌ست، طوری طراحی شده که سه بخش رو در یک خط قرار بده: باغ شوالیه‌ها، نمای شهر، و واتیکان.

طراحش معلوم نیست، ولی احتمالاً پیرانزی بوده توی قرن هجده. و خود شوالیه‌های مالت؟ اونا یه نظم مذهبی-نظامی قدیمی‌ان که هنوزم وجود دارن، و این ویلا خاک مستقل محسوب می‌شه، درست وسط رم!

پس اگه یه روز رفتی رم، حتماً از اون سوراخ نگاه کن — یکی از کوچیک‌ترین ولی شگفت‌انگیزترین...

If you have an hour of your life to completely waste, or you’re so fed up with Rome that you’re willing to throw your time away just for a 30-second peek through a door, then by all means, this is the place.

The truth is, no view is worth the time you’ll lose or the irritation this line will cause. Had I known I’d be stuck here for over an hour on a random weekday in mid-September (long after the summer crowds and not even on a weekend), I would never have bothered stopping. Self-absorbed “Instagram girls” hog the door, staying endlessly while ignoring everyone else, creating a bottleneck that turns an innocent-looking line into a frustrating, time-sucking trap. Do yourself a favor: skip...