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Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta Review

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Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta

Address: Via Santa Sabina and Via Porta Lavernale, Aventino, Rome
Phone: 06/67581234 to book group tours

Category: Squares
Location: Aventino

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Fodor's Review:

Peek through the keyhole of the Priorato di Malta, the walled compound of the Knights of Malta, and you'll get a surprising eyeful: a picture-perfect view of the dome of St. Peter's Basilica, far across the city. The Order of the Knights of Malta is the world's oldest and most exclusive order of chivalry, founded in the Holy Land during the Crusades. Though nominally ministering to the sick in those early days, a role that has since become the order's raison d'être, the knights amassed huge tracts of land in the Middle East and also established themselves as a fearsome mercenary force. From 1530 they were based on the Mediterranean island of Malta, having been expelled from Rhodes by the Turks in 1522. In 1798 Napoléon expelled them from Malta, and in 1834 they established themselves in Rome, with headquarters on Via Condotti. The square itself, and the church and gardens inside the compound, were designed around 1765 by Piranesi, 18th-century Rome's foremost engraver. The gardens can be viewed only by appointment.

Open: Group tours at 10 and 11
Metro: Circo Massimo

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