Rome

Rome is a city that rewards the patient traveller. The palazzo hotels of the centro storico — Hotel de la Ville, Bulgari Roma, Hotel Eden, the Hassler — place you within a short walk of the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, and Villa Borghese. These are not simply luxury hotels; they are buildings with centuries of history, their walls having absorbed the conversations of popes, emperors, artists, and diplomats.

Bulgari Roma, opened in 2022 in a 1950s palazzo on the Via Veneto, is the most architecturally significant new hotel in the city — a building that has been reimagined by Antonio Citterio with the same precision the brand brings to its jewellery. Hotel de la Ville, a Rocco Forte property on the Via Sistina above the Spanish Steps, is the most beautifully restored. The Hassler, at the very top of the Spanish Steps, has the most theatrical entrance in Rome.

Rome's rooftop culture is extraordinary. The terrace at Hotel Eden, the rooftop bar at Hotel de la Ville, and the Bulgari's garden terrace are among the finest outdoor dining experiences in Italy. The city's geography — built on seven hills — means that almost every rooftop offers a view of domes, campanili, and the Tiber.

The city is best explored on foot. Every major site — the Colosseum, the Forum, the Pantheon, the Vatican — is within a 30-minute walk of the centro storico hotels. Rome rewards the traveller who walks slowly and stops often.

April–May and September–October are Rome's best months: warm, sunny, and manageable crowds. June–August is hot (35–40°C), crowded, and expensive. November–February is quiet, cool, and the best time for hotel value — the city's cultural institutions are fully open and the tourist crowds are at their thinnest.