Discover the Aventino Hill with Hotel Spring House
The Aventino Hill, not so far from the Best Western Plus Hotel Spring House, it is the most evocative, romantic and fascinating of the seven hills of Rome. You can start a pleasant walk from the Rose Garden at the bottom of it and walk up between elegant villas discovering the Medieval churches and the Orange Garden until you reach Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta. It was conceived by Giovan Battista Piranesi in the 18th century, you should stop by the main gate of the Villa of the Priory of the Order of Malta. If you peek though the keyhole, you will see Saint Peter’s dome on the horizon.
In Spring the Rome Rose Garden opens its gates and visitors will be able to admire lots of colorful roses from all over the world.
One of the most important church of the hill is the Basilica of Saint Sabina, which was built between 422 and 432 on the site of early Imperial houses, one of which is said to be of Sabina, a Roman matron who was later declared a Christian Saint. Later in the 9th century, the interior was largely renovated by Domenico Fontana in 1587 and by Francesco Borromini in 1643.
The Basilica Santi Bonifacio and Alessio, founded between the 3rd and the 4th centuries, which still has a Romanesque campanile, crypt and Medieval-style quadriportico. Santa Prisca, built in the 4th or 5th century, hides a recently discovered mithraeum of the 2nd century.
For a relaxing break, do not miss the Orange Garden, also known as the Savello Park. Raffaele De Vico designed the garden, as it is today, in 1932. It was constructed to offer public access to the view from the side of the hill, creating a new breathtaking belvedere, to be added to the existing viewpoints in Rome from the Pincian Hill and the Janiculum.
Photo by Stefano Costantini (Flickr: Piazza of Knights of Malta, Rome) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons