IMAGE: PIETRO MASTURZO


SLEEP


Best for glitz £ £ £ PALAZZO ROMA


There’s something in the air at Palazzo Roma. The 2024 transformation of a 17th- century patrician palazzo on Via del Corso, two blocks from the Trevi Fountain, has been scented by Rome’s legendary perfumier, Laura Bosetti Tonatto, who’s infused everything from the toiletries to the corridors with what smells like church incense. Up the marble staircase and beyond the frescoed restaurant is a brilliantly flamboyant hotel. The 39 plush rooms are eclectic to say the least — art deco-style lines mixed with brightly coloured walls and humbug stripes — while the public spaces are equally outré, with disembodied conductor’s hands emerging from the wall in the Music Lounge. It’s all as fun as the charming staff — no wonder it’s gone straight onto the books of the Leading Hotels of the World. ROOMS: from €425 (£363), B&B. palazzoroma.com


Best for views £ £ OTIUM


In the postwar years, this building was the HQ of


Italy’s Communist Party. Since becoming a hotel in 2022, it’s much more geared towards capitalism, with a gold check-in desk that segues into a low-lit bar with mirrored tables. The mid-century-inspired


rooms are compact but comfy. The one to book is the ‘doppia deluxe experience’, with a terrace looking


towards the ancient Jewish Quarter. Otherwise, have a cocktail on the sixth-floor rooftop, with views of the Vittoriano monument dominating Piazza Venezia. ROOMS: From €200 (£171), B&B. otiumhotel.eu


Best for atmosphere £ HOTEL LANCELOT


In 1959, Canadian Helen Khan stayed in a pensione


in a 1930s apartment block behind the Colosseum. She loved it so much that she eventually bought it, expanding it into a 66-room hotel and stuffing it with antiques, from art deco chairs to old prints of


Rome. Helen is now 95, and her children carry on the tradition: daughter Lubna manages it, chef son Faris


cooks legendary three-course dinners then sits down with guests to eat. Plump for a sixth-floor terrace room for eye-popping views of the Colosseum. ROOMS: From €140 (£120), B&B. lancelothotel.com


Best for seclusion £ £ DOMUS LIBERA


Rome does a brilliant line in tiny, semi-staffed


boutique properties, and this is one of the loveliest. Renaissance artist Sebastiano del Piombo is thought to have had his studio here, tucked behind Piazza Venezia on a cobbled alleyway. You might feel


equally inspired by the six beautiful rooms. The style blends Philippe Starck-designed details (like a sink


in the shape of an espresso cup) with original beams and gauzy drapes. The cheery staff are in during the day, and available by WhatsApp out of hours. ROOMS: From €170 (£145), B&B. domuslibera.com


JUL/AUG 2024 63


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148  |  Page 149  |  Page 150  |  Page 151  |  Page 152  |  Page 153  |  Page 154  |  Page 155  |  Page 156  |  Page 157  |  Page 158  |  Page 159  |  Page 160  |  Page 161  |  Page 162  |  Page 163  |  Page 164  |  Page 165  |  Page 166  |  Page 167  |  Page 168  |  Page 169  |  Page 170  |  Page 171  |  Page 172  |  Page 173  |  Page 174  |  Page 175  |  Page 176  |  Page 177  |  Page 178  |  Page 179  |  Page 180  |  Page 181  |  Page 182  |  Page 183  |  Page 184  |  Page 185  |  Page 186  |  Page 187  |  Page 188  |  Page 189  |  Page 190  |  Page 191  |  Page 192  |  Page 193  |  Page 194  |  Page 195  |  Page 196