The Eternal City by name and nature, Rome offers unbeatable year-round appeal: delectable food, historical and architecture treasures, timeless beauty and some of Europe’s most phenomenal hotels, both new and old
Everyone has their opinion on the most beautiful city in the world: Paris is thrown around, Florence, Cape Town and Jaipur. But for me, there’s nowhere like Rome. Rome is a monument to time itself, a dance between antiquity and classical history – a heady mix of art, street life, ruins, romance, and charisma. Rome is a city where you wander down cobbled lanes and happen to come across an ancient monument, glimpse into a doorway to see a priceless frescoed ceiling, or find yourself atop a hill, watching the city unfold like a Renaissance painting. At sunset, the terracotta sprawl glows as orange as aperitivo spritzes. But at night, Rome’s low-rise domes (there are no skyscrapers here) lie in almost darkness – there’s no flash or sparkling lights, and the city does indeed sleep.
Italy’s hot-blooded capital’s year-round appeal is no secret, thanks to its museums and cultural attractions: of course, the Colosseum, Pantheon and Vatican; its trattorias and fine dining restaurants – where bowls of cacio e pepe and Roman pizza are washed down with bottles of Italian wine, and its elegant espresso bars and boutiques – like those on gleaming Via Condutti home to Italian Bulgari, Ferragamo and Gucci. Another reason to visit year- round is its galaxy of five-star hotels – one of the best scenes in the world right now. New names include everyone from Six Senses and the Rome EDITION to Soho House, Mama Shelter and Anantara. On a summer’s week, we checked into some of the city’s very best, both old and new.
The Sixties-chic jewellery box
Bulgari Roma
The arrival at Bulgari Roma is as dramatic as it gets – pulling up to the Piazza Imperatore, home of the ancient Mausoleum of Emperor Augustus – one of Rome’s most impressive yet underrated sites. As only the ninth Bulgari hotel in the world, Bulgari Hotel Roma brings Sixties Italian glamour and the sparkle of its jewellery to the city’s hospitality scene. The opening of Bulgari Hotel Roma was a homecoming for the luxury giant, founded in Rome in 1884 and built on Italian excellence. This tone is set on arrival in the intimate lobby where a 2,000-year-old seated statue of Augustus himself stands proudly under a Murano glass drop chandelier (a loan from the city, thanks to Bulgari’s extension donations to its renovation). An enfilade of gilded rooms unfolds, each with a museum-like case of Bulgari’s glittering jewellery, bags and artwork on the walls. Guests come from all over the world, with a strong clientele from the GCC, and you’ll find them on the sun-dappled Cafe Romito terrace clad in oversized sunglasses and sipping espresso.
Bulgari Hotel Roma’s 114 rooms and suites are a soft and cocoon-like city sanctuary within the historic and imposing stone building. Corridors are dark and moody, with black and gold accents and prints of iconic jewellery designs like the Serpenti watch, but things brighten in the rooms. Warm textiles and soft furnishings create incredibly plush feeling, with each abode having its own Bulgari-inspired colour palette – either white, gold, ruby or emerald. Our junior suite is all cream, leather pouffes, and butter-soft Bulgari throws; our bathroom is decked with golden- yellow mosaic tiles reminiscent of a Roman bath, and complimentary daily pressing makes life breezy. No expense has been spared – from the stocked glossy coffee cabinet to the maxi bar for aperitivo – fresh ice bucket always on hand.
The restaurant and bar attract the same refined crowd. Bulgari Hotel Roma has outlets from superstar chef Niko Romito, who is best known for his three-Michelin-starred restaurant Reale in his native Abruzzo. Though we intended to head out, we ended up in the Bulgari Bar each night, a jewellery box-like hideaway transporting you to glamorous 1960s Italy. We sip Italian wines and enjoy aperitivo on a grey evening and spritzes on the terrace on a steamy summer night. There are nods to Bulgari’s heritage throughout the property – from mosaics from its first store to artwork – and walking it is like wafting through a museum. In this writer’s opinion, it’s also home to the most beautiful rooftop in the city – which, while open to external guests for drinks at night, is a jungle residents-only haven in the daytime where you can hide away with a book or coffee and not be disturbed.
bulgarihotels.com; @bvlgarihotels
The grande dame
Hotel de Russie
A few streets over on Via del Babuino lies Rome’s grande dame – the classic, old-money institution to Bulgari’s glossy newness. It’s hard to describe the feeling one gets when walking into Rome’s Hotel de Russie: perhaps it’s the top-hatted doormen with their cheerful ‘Buongiorno’ or the slinking resident felines – Mona and Lisa – or the immaculate interiors, marble floors and fresh flowers housed in handmade OTT Sicilian vases. One of the jewels of Italian brand Rocco Forte’s portfolio, Hotel de Russie is a Rome institution that opened in the early 19th century and hosted guests like artist Pablo Picasso and poet Jean Cocteau.
Glamorous guests flock from all over the city to enjoy coffee aperitivo and dine in its Secret Garden – 2,800 square metres of terraced gardens full of palm trees, yews and white climbing roses. The entrance is almost unassuming for such an illustrious property, tucked away from the main thoroughfare on a quieter street bordering the grand Piazza de Polpo and graceful Villa Borghese. We loved the elegant energy of the location – surrounded by shiny designer boutiques, gleaming cobble lanes, Italian trattorias and sophisticated coffee shops. Via Margutta, one of the most beautiful streets in Rome, is right next to the hotel, lined with interior design houses and galleries.
Impossibly glamorous and old-world luxurious, though not stuffy in the slightest – a delicate balance to tread. The hotel is always abuzz, with a mix of in-house and external guests – the latter book weeks in advance for a spot in the secret jardin or outdoor restaurant: The Jardin de Russie is perched high above the stone balustrades in the garden under tumbling foliage, where guest sit under white umbrellas and on crisp white tablecloths enjoying breakfast to the sound of running water and birds chirping. For coffee, a snack, or, which we never miss each evening, aperitivo, head to the Stravinskij Bar in the internal rosy-hued courtyard. The space is always bustling: with elegant guests and locals in the day reading the paper with espresso or with well-dressed guests and Romans come evening. The Stravinskij Bar is one of Rome’s most beautiful and well-known aperitivo spots, and the tables are a sea of orange from icy Aperol Spritzes.
(roccofortehotels.com; @hotellderussie)
The seductive little sister
Hotel de la Ville
If Hotel de Russie was Rome’s glamorous grande dame, Hotel de la Ville would be the seductive little sister – located directly at the top of the Spanish steps and offering an intimate lobby and narrow corridors. Hotel de la Ville is a cheeky riff on the Grand Tour, the beloved 17th- to 19th-century tradition where the monied boys journeyed across the globe and Italy to become cultured young gentlemen. There’s stucco detailing, a tiled. There’s the lobby, Napoleonic yellow wallpaper, teal, busts, grand portraits and repro micro-mosaics, which follow the 100-plus rooms and sites, think shades of blues and greens, with burnt orange and mustard, cheeky artwork, 18th-century trends like chinoiserie and neoclassical designs, objets d’art and bold patterned rugs.
In the warmer months, breakfast feels like a dream – served in the sun-dappled Mosaico: a rose-tinted courtyard with iron tables shaded by candy-striped parasols and serving up freshly pressed organic juices from the buffet’s juice machines and specials like carbonara scrambled eggs. Next door, the ochre-hued Julep Bar serves vermouths, amaros, cocktails and infusions, with printed wallpaper and Grand Tour illustrations adorning the walls. We made full use of the stunning Cielo Rooftop – one of Rome’s top rooftop bars and restaurants, popping in for espressos, beers and apertivo – never tiring of the spectacular views, red-striped parasols and, come night, twinkling lights, DJ and cool crowd. The spa is a real treat, with an underground labyrinth doubling as one of Rome’s most exclusive health clubs. roccofortehotels.com; @hoteldelavillerome
The Roman resort
Villa Agrippina Gran Meliá
Outdoor space, and therefore swimming pools, are an enigma in Rome, so top hotels are usually home to indoor or subterranean spas and wellness centres. Which is a shame for a gloriously sunny city that turns scorching in the summer months. It’s surprising, then, that sitting on the eastern bank of the Tiber, just metres from the Vatican and Castel Sant’Angelo, is Villa Agrippina Gran Meliá. The hotel feels like an pink Italian countryside palazzo with manicured gardens, an olive-tree-line drive, rolling gardens and a swimming pool – so much, you’d expect to see Cypress trees peeking through, not the dome of St Peter’s Basilica.
This is the reason to book; alongside the gobsmackingly stunning speciality suites with panoramic views of Rome, hot tubs and private pools – and the aptly named Panoramic Suite offers a sweeping vista of the city –best enjoyed in the bubbling hot tub, glass of Italian sparkling in hand. Botticelli- style paintings above the bed in most rooms – adding a touch of drama with a playful Melia twist. For something absolutely superlative, book into the Agrippina Private Pool Villa – a two-bedroom suite with its own garden and private swimming pool, almost unheard of in the Eternal City.
Guests step into the former convent-turned-rosy-hued palazzo and feel instantly at peace, allowing them to enjoy the Italian sunshine and unwind while walking from the buzz. The hotel’s star dining concept is Folie, a fine-dining Italian eatery championing the ingredients of the Roman Empire. At the same time, Amaro, a decommissioned church, makes you feel like the châtelain of the manor as you sip coffee and read a book – a beautiful art deco-style cocktail bar and lounge with peacock blue accents and parquet floors. In summer, it’s one of the most unique places to bed in central Rome.
melia.com; @villaagrippinagm
This article originally featured in NEAR+FAR Volume II
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