As someone of Italian heritage I may be biased but when someone asks me the best place to plan a European city break, I will state: “All roads lead to Rome” as I gesture my hands into ‘che voui?’ shapes like an Italian cliché. And while we’re on the topic of idioms, if do decide to visit the capital, you should definitely “do as the Romans do”. Italy is not a country to visit, it is a country to exist in. The more you can sip the country finishing the last dregs of an espresso in a wifi-free bar with a queue system that makes absolutely no sense, the closer you become to truly living La Dolce Vita.
Where to stay
Palazzo Ripetta
Palazzo Ripetta is a luxury hotel housed in a historic building (not a hard feat in a city so steeped in history). Yet you’ll struggle to find such serene decadence this central to the city’s action. The palace structure, dating back to the 1600s, is sandwiched between the Piazza del Popolo and Piazza di Spagnia.
Previously an all-female convent, then an orphanage, the hotel has taking care of you in its bones. Now, majorly renovated by architect Luigi Moretti, and later jazzed-up with interiors from Fausta Gaetani, it sports modern-clashing colours, neon chandeliers, and striped curtains to add a new world feel to the listed building.
There’s famous artwork peppered through the place (at one point, I spot an original Andy Warhol). And their conference room named the Bernini Suite is quite something; it has ceilings to rival the Vatican. An almost-Sevillian courtyard is a terracotta oasis with Sevillian-style orange trees and scalloped window canopies. It’s a place it would be rude not to sink at least one (or three spritz) before your early evening passeggiata.
Or head to their roof terrace. With burgundy garden furniture and a variety of foliage, you can sink a martini from their outdoor bar while taking in the low-level murmur of city life below, views on the neighbouring apartment’s dirty laundry. This is bona fide Roma.
Where to eat and drink
Il Marchese
The hotel’s restaurant is sublime. Chef Christian Spalvieri and his team serve fresh pasta through a wooden burgundy sash window; the open heart of their kitchen exposed with the calm, meditative backdrop of pasta not only be pleasing to your eyes, but also to your stomach. Taking traditional Roman flavours and raising them to new heights, he serves us an amuse-bouche of a savoury carbonara custard with grated cured lamb. You will never understand the rich sweetness in a datterini tomato until you sample his spaghetti. They do more than host us here; they house us.
We get to know the team over dinner and cocktails: head bartender Diana tells us stories of hitching around the world as she serves us drinks influenced by the crazy tales, Roberta the pastry chef shares her recipes with us, Head of Food and Beverage Alessia comes out to raise a glass to our arrival. This is real Italian hospitality; with women working hard behind the scenes. A lot of the team here are female -- much like those who ran this in the various institutions back in the olden days. Kind, determined, eager to make sure everyone is looked after. It’s a place overflowing with character, and not just in the architecture.
The food and drinks on offer here are so spectacular you almost wouldn’t want to leave. Yet, it’s Rome, after all. You must. Trastevere is a great place to people watch. Sit on a street corner with a beer and a pizza like a young, hip, local. Da Poeta will regularly feature your newsfeed and is always busy. Rightly so. Although honestly, you’d struggle to find a bad slice in this neck of the woods. If you want to stay closer to the hotel then Il Ciampini does thin, crispy bases as well as fantastic gelato. Order the maron glace scoop as you overhear men shouting ‘pronto’ down the phone.
And in the evening? A plate of traditional stuff: carbonara, amatriciana, or cacio e pepe is a must. Il Marchese does some of the best in the city, with the shabby Roman glamour interiors to boot. Think chandeliers, distressed walls, charmingly unstressed staff. Even better? They’re specialists in Amaro bitter cocktails.
Bar Manager Fabrizio Valeriani is not only one of the friendliest people I’ve ever met, but a mixology cupid; he will match-make your drink to your food. Trust him. It’s an art form as intricate as the ceiling to the Sistine Chapel. Their Americano #1 features pear and black tea soda, revealing a new flavour to amaro that gets a reception from my tongue akin to St Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday. Both in-body and out-of-body, this is the blood of some kind of Christ for sure. Spend all your holiday car-per-diems on his drinks and accept the hangover with glee. It’s worth it.
Where to go
Pineider
No trip to Rome should be complete without some shopping. Heralded as one of the most stylist nations, you’d be right to seek out some goods to take back with you. And Via Vittoria is the spot. Rome is famous for big designers yet in recent years the boutiques and vintage stores along this cobbled, vine-laden street see a new wave of curated vintage goods, and minimalist garms stealing the spotlight.
Schostal, the humble shirt, sock and pyjama tailor since 1870, has seen something of its own renaissance; the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow and Harry Styles spotted here as the brand’s designs move from sleepwear to streetwear. Owner, Shirley, is the kind of woman I aspire to be – kind, welcoming, firm (she wasn’t afraid to tell me I needed the pyjama set at least two sizes larger) and her additional fashion icons? Her three small dogs who sit in the window welcoming guests, modelling the scarves she sells.
And if you splurge on the socks and shirts and can’t fit it all in? Pineider can sell you the Tuscan leather bags to take it all home. Pop in to take in the sophisticated colours palettes and get a whiff of the good stuff. Honestly, is there anything better than that scent? Then jot your trip highlights into one of their leatherbound, embossed notebooks.
Of course, it’s worth visiting at least one major landmark. And when the Trevi Fountain is a coin’s throw away from Palazzo Ripetta, it would be rude not to. The Colosseum, however, is my favourite of the landmarks. It’s well-worth the trek across to the other side of the city. The grandeur of something that long-standing is remarkable. Plus, the wide roads, bejewelled with huge landmarks and lined city’s ubiquitous stone pine trees all part of the monument’s magical framing. Here you’ll see exactly how this place wasn’t built in a day. And it can’t be totally explored in one, or even three. So I guess you’ll just have to come back…
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Via di Ripetta 231, 00186; Palazzo Ripetta
