• Home
  • About me/Chi sono
  • Contact

Un po' di pepe

~ …… (oon∙poh∙dee∙PEH∙peh) Cristina writes about interesting stuff /Cristina scrive di cose interessanti

Un po' di pepe

Tag Archives: Roman walks

Roma: Passeggiata all’Aventino

19 Tuesday Jul 2016

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Italia, Roma

≈ 15 Comments

Tags

Aventine Hill, Bocca della Verita, Buco della Serratura, Giardino degli Aranci, Piazza Cavalieri di Malta, Roman walks, Santa Sabina

Giardino degli Aranci

As usual I was awake far too early on my first morning in Roma. I set out on a mission to take some photos and a passeggiata before the Roman heat set in. The city of Roma was built on 7 hills.  L’Aventino-the Aventine Hill, is the furthest south. In the legend of the founding of Roma, l’Aventino was picked by Remo as the spot to build a new city, but his twin Romolo disagreed.  Remo was killed in the dispute, and Romolo built Roma on the Palatino-Palatine Hill.  L’Aventino was originally outside the city, and it was populated by refugees from areas Roma had conquered.   Then wealthy Ancient Romans started to build homes there and today it is still an elegant residential part of Roma. It is also the perfect place for a long, quiet passeggiata with beautiful views of Roma- without the crowds.Giardinodegliaranci2

I started off by taking the Metro blue line to Circo Massimo, then heading up Viale Aventino, which was originally the ancient road between the 2 high spots of the hill. I passed beautiful homes and quiet streets as I walked uphill.  My first stop on Via di Santa Sabina was the walled Giardino degli Aranci. The orange grove was originally planted in the 13th Century by the Dominican monks of Santa Sabina, who brought the seeds from Spain . The Giardino has a platform at the end with beautiful panoramic views of Roma and the cupola of San Pietro.  A Roman friend once told me that when he was young, he and his friends used to have ‘arance’ fights in the Giardino with the oranges that fell on the ground!Fontana del Mascherone

In the piazza in front of Santa Sabina, near the door to Giardino degli Aranci is a wall fountain built in 1593. La Fontana del Mascherone floods an ancient Roman bathtub-a smaller version of the 2 giant ones in Piazza Farnese.  Santa Sabina all’Aventino, built right at the top of the hill in 422 AD is one of the oldest Roman basilicas.

A short walk away, through a tree-lined residential neighborhood, is Piazza Cavalieri di Malta. This morning I had the whole piazza to myself! It is usually very crowded and full of taxis and people waiting in line in front of a heavy green door.  Cavalliere di MaltaThe door belongs to La Villa del Priorato di Malta.  I Cavalieri di Malta are a military order of knights founded in the 11th Century to look after the wounded in the Holy Land during the Crusades.  In 1798, Napoleon kicked them out of Malta and they moved their headquarters to Roma. The villa and the church inside, Santa Maria del Priorato, are not usually accessible to the public. The people standing in line are waiting to look through the keyhole, known as ‘il buco della serratura’.  I won’t spoil the surprise, so my photo is blurry on purpose.  You will have to see for yourself—unless you have seen La Grande Bellezza and the surprise has been spoiled!IMG_4218

IMG_2385The walk back downhill was nice and I was able to admire the scenery and views as I walked back down Via Santa Sabina, then past Santa Maria in Cosmedin. This is the home of the famous ‘Bocca della Verità’ featured in the movie Roman Holiday.  There is usually a line of people waiting to stick their hand in its mouth!BoccadellaveritaAs I walked past il Teatro di Marcello, I was surprised to notice that there are private residences on the top floor.  Can you imagine living in Teatro Marcello!  I have heard about first time visitors to Roma thinking that Teatro Marcello is the Colosseo and being very confused! Teatro Marcello Polizia

By the time I reached Il Vittoriano, it was getting hot. Time for a granita di caffè! Arrivederci da Roma, Cristina

To read more about walking in Roma click on Un Giorno a Roma and Il Pantheon.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • WhatsApp

Like this:

Like Loading...

Enter your email address to follow 'un po' di pepe' and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 471 other subscribers
Follow Un po' di pepe on WordPress.com

Popular Posts

  • Olive Oil Limoncello Cake
    Olive Oil Limoncello Cake
  • Napoli Street Art
    Napoli Street Art
  • La Grande Cacata
    La Grande Cacata
  • Grano Arso
    Grano Arso
  • Pio Monte della Misericordia
    Pio Monte della Misericordia
  • L'arte sa nuotare
    L'arte sa nuotare
  • Italiano per Ristoranti~How to pronounce your restaurant menu
    Italiano per Ristoranti~How to pronounce your restaurant menu

Recent Posts

  • Appuntamento con la Daunia
  • Buon Anno 2023
  • Diamond Anniversary
  • Post Pandemic Travel Postcard
  • Un Matrimonio in Puglia
  • In my Kitchen in Puglia, 2022
  • Beat the heat: Surviving Summer in Roma
  • Ottavo Bloghiversario
  • 2 years of Covid-19
  • Giornata della Donna~Mariya Prymachenko
  • Festival di Sanremo
  • 2021~ Un po’ di pepe year in review
  • Italian Christmas Vocabulary
  • 100 years of Insulin
  • Italiese
  • Marostica~Partita a Scacchi
  • In my Kitchen-Summer 2021
  • Reflections from a COVID immunizer
  • Recent Successes for Italia
  • Internment of Italian Canadians
  • Settebello-Bloghiversario #7
  • Tiramisù
  • Percorso della Memoria
  • Ravioli Rossi
  • 700 Years of Dante

Categories

Amici e Famiglia Architecture Art Art history Art projects Bilingual posts Blogging Canada Culture Feste Firenze Inspiration Italia Italian Folklore Italian language Italian life Italocanadesi Libri Mangiamo! Orsara di Puglia Parole piacevoli Photography Puglia Recipes Roma Travel Travel tips Uncategorized Vino

Archives

Un po’ di pepe on Facebook

Un po’ di pepe on Facebook

Start a Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • Un po' di pepe
    • Join 471 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Un po' di pepe
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: