Where to Eat, Spa, and Stay Right Now in Rome
Anantara Palazzo Naiadi Rome Hotel
On the Piazza della Republica near statues of water nymphs in the Fountains of the Naiads, the Palazzo Naiadi has operated under a number of guises since Pope Clement XI commissioned the original elements in 1705. Poised as a hotel with 238 rooms and suites, the building maintains a mix of neoclassical and contemporary interior design. Renovated features by its new owners include SEEN bar and restaurant and a pool, both gracing one of the largest rooftop spaces in Rome. Choose contemporary Italian INEO Restaurant for fine dining. The Palazzo was built over ancient Diocletian Thermal Baths and a new Anantara Spa and fitness center taps into that early spirit of wellness. Yet another fun throwback, the hotel hosts tours of Rome in a double sidecar or vintage Fiat à la Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn. anantara.com
Hotel De Russie
Designed by the architect Giuseppe Valadier in 1814, the landmark building was initially the favorite Roman haunt of Russian nobility and artists. Even a century later, the hotel was called “paradise on Earth” by the French poet Jean Cocteau. But the intervening years of the 20th century were not kind, as the premises were requisitioned by the government during World War II, then acquired by Count Romolo Vaselli and used to house an Italian radio and television network. Fast forward to today and the beauty has been restored as a Rocco Forte property. A key feature is the Secret Garden positioned at the center of the hotel that debuted in 2021, according to Valadier’s original sketches (see “Secret Gardens” in this issue). More recently, seven classical and contemporary garden suites have been added among 120 total guest rooms. roccofortehotels.com
InterContinental Rome Ambasciatori Palace
On Rome’s chic Via Veneto, Ambasciatori Palace was built in 1900 to house ambassadors to the Italian capital and later served as the American Embassy Library. The architecture makes a stately first impression with imposing columns at the entrance and a central marble staircase. There are 160 rooms and suites adorned with marble as well as wood and warm-tone colors. The predominant interior design theme is the sexy and surreal vibe straight out of La Dolce Vita, the famous 1960 film by Federico Fellini that helped make Via Veneto famous. In 2023, the Anita Bar & Lounge is popular as a central meeting spot while the elegant Scarpetta NYC restaurant draws on American and Italian culinary traditions. ihg.com
Corinthia Rome
Malta-based Corinthia Hotel group is on a mission to restore historically significant, 19th-century buildings to their former glory. This scope already includes success in London, and now the Rome project is scheduled for completion in the spring of 2024. The site of the former headquarters of the Central Bank of Italy on Parliament Square will have 60 rooms and suites, a spa, restaurants, and bars wrapping around a central courtyard. corinthia.com
Six Senses Rome
Six Senses, best known for its wellness-oriented resorts in remote locales, has taken an urban departure with the opening of an address in Rome—its first in Italy. The brand has restored the original façade and monumental staircase of the 15th-century Palazzo Salviati Cesi Mellini, and acted as a good neighbor by restoring the façade of the adjoining baroque-style San Marcello al Corso church, all just a few blocks away from the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon. Interiors utilize Cocciopesto plasterwork and locally sourced Travertine limestone in a contemporary fashion designed by architect Patricia Urquiola, known for her commitment to sustainability. Among the 96-room hotel’s many highlights is a 60-minute ancient Rome bathing experience through three plunge pools: the calidarium, tepidarium, and frigidarium. sixsenses.com
The Rome Edition
Marriott’s Edition hotel brand strives to be the right thing for the right people and the opening of its first hotel in Italy continues the theme. But with brand cofounder and legendary hotel impresario Ian Schrager reportedly dialing back his involvement with Marriott, scene watchers will have eyes on whether the Rome Edition lives up to its anticipated cool factor. Located on a narrow street off the Via Veneto and a few steps from Bernini’s Triton Fountain, the 93-room hotel has a rooftop terrace and pool, and a signature restaurant will offer outdoor dining. The building, designed by Italian architects from the Rationalism period of the early 1920s, maintains a style embracing ancient Roman architecture’s scale, structure, and symmetry minus the ornamental flourishes. editionhotels.com
Palazzo Roma
The Shedir Collection opens its fourth hotel in Rome this summer. Located on Via del Corso, the building has been renovated by architect and interior designer Giampiero Panepinto with the aim of mixing the splendor of the past with the high style of a noble Italian home. Panepinto installed Versailles teak parquet and wood paneling throughout interiors adorned with original frescoes and painted coffered ceilings. There are 39 rooms and suites with two dining establishments and one bar on premises. Common areas are decorated according to the themes of worldwide travel, music, photography, and time. shedircollection.com
