Il buco di Roma — TRAVELOGUES — NAOMI MELATI BISHOP

I heard about a secret keyhole in Rome. I heard it was the best peep show in town.

Captain Greggles told me: "It will be the most remarkable thing you'll ever do in your life."

How could I pass that up.

So I walked up Aventino Hill around sunset, past Circo Massimo and followed Via di Santa Sabina, past a few churches, past an old man selling roasted chestnuts outside of a fortified panoramic garden with orange groves (il giardino degli aranci, which hosts outdoor films in the summer), and past another garden until I reached a nondescript green door with a tiny bronze keyhole. On the other side of the door is property belonging to The Knights of Malta, a sovereign state.

I pressed my left eye to the hole and saw a secret garden with manicured bushes perfectly framing The Vatican against a pink sky. I thought my eye was playing tricks on me.

I could see three countries at once: Italy, The Knights of Malta, and Vatican City. Such an unexpected, breathtaking experience from a one-inch hole.