Aventine Hill

A leafy, residential hill — one of Rome's seven — that's quieter and more atmospheric than the central tourist circuit, less than 10 minutes' walk from the Circus Maximus. The hill is home to three of Rome's most romantic spots: the Orange Garden, the Knights of Malta Keyhole, and the basilica of Santa Sabina with its rare 5th-century carved cypress doors (showing one of the earliest known images of the Crucifixion). Walk it slowly, ideally late afternoon.