Do you ever find yourself traveling to your favorite countries only to end up seeing the same places again and again? Or maybe you’re looking for a new and exciting attraction to discover in your home country.Some of the entries on this list have been kept secret for decades, whereas others date back hundreds of years and remain largely unknown. To spice up your next vacation, check out the following secret places and hidden gems!
The Aventine Keyhole—Rome, Italy
In the beautiful city of Rome, an unassuming green door sits at the end of a cul-de-sac, and you’d be forgiven for walking past it and not giving it a second glance. This is no ordinary door, though—its keyhole provides a perfect, albeit tiny, view of one country and two nation-states, with St. Peter’s basilica perfectly positioned in the center.This door leads to none other than the Priory of the Knights of Malta, a legendary religious order. When you look through the keyhole, you’ll see Italy, Malta, and Vatican City in your view! The property belonged to the Knights Templar in the early 12th century before being passed to the Knights of Malta in the 15th century.The beautiful building you’ll see today is a church called Santa Maria del Priorato—the work of famous engraver and architect Giovanni Battista Piranesi—built in the 18th century. The architectural desi
gn of the church is inspired by ships and the sea, based on the tradition of Aventine Hill being compared to a ship.
The keyhole vista is perfectly lined up with the gardens, with the Vatican visible in the distance. It’s not known whether this was an intricately planned vista or just a case of serendipity.[1]
Passetto del Biscione—Rome, Italy
Those exploring Campo de Fiori in Rome will most likely walk straight past a hidden passageway that connects the Piazza del Biscione with Via di Grotta Pinta. Passetto del Biscione is a small passageway with an astonishing history.It’s believed it was named after the symbol of the Orsini family—an eel. The Orsini family built a palace over the ruins of Rome’s first theater, the Theater of Pompey. But in 1796, the passageway was allegedly the scene of a divine miracle.Within the alley is an image of the Madonna, which reportedly moved its eyes in the late 18th century. Naturally, this miracle attracted devout Christians from around the city, but the alley’s hidden location made it challenging for many people to witness this miracle.The passageway was abandoned for decades but was finally restored to its current beauty in 2016. To this day, the image of the Madonna still attracts attention from visitors.[2]
Hidden Staircase in Penshaw Monument—Houghton le Spring, England
Built in 1844, Penshaw Monument is a spectacular sight, sitting atop Penshaw Hill in Tyne and Wear, England. The monument is a Greek temple replica, measuring a staggering 70 feet (21.3 meters) tall, and was built to commemorate the 1st Earl of Durham, John George Lambton.But this 200-year-old Greek-inspired temple also has a spectacular secret—there’s a hidden spiral staircase inside one of the pillars! But the staircase was the scene of a tragedy in the 1920s when a teenager fell to his death.Afterward, the staircase was closed for safety reasons and remained shut off for 90 years, except briefly during the mid-1960s when vandals broke the lock. When the National Trust took over the monument’s maintenance, the staircase was reopened in 2011. However, it’s only open on certain days, and there’s a fee just to climb it![3]
