2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Harpers Bazaar Arabia
Why The Rome Edition Hotel Never Fails To Deliver La Dolce Vita
The eternal city's understated, elegant Rome Edition is becoming a destination in its own right for the chic set
The style cognoscenti have a new place to pose – a space that features all the hallmarks of Ian Schrager's chic aesthetic, but with a decidedly Roman accent. In a city filled with beautiful boutique hotels, charming historic stalwarts and big-name chains, The Rome Edition has carved its own niche, showcasing a plethora of contradictions that work in perfect harmony.
Steps away from the high fashion shops of Via Veneto and Piazza Barberini, the hotel – a grand, converted 1940s bank whose structure has been thankfully preserved – is in the heart of historic Rome, but still feels tucked away from the noise of the city. There's an intimacy to this 91-room property, but it somehow still has scale, with an astonishing statement staircase kept from its original incarnation.
The rooms are sophisticated and modern – but never cold – decked out in muted tones with Carrera marble bathrooms and light Canaletto walnut beds. And although it is a lush, greenery-filled sanctuary that's ideal to escape the summer heat, it's also a place to make a bee-line to if you want to soak up the upbeat atmosphere of its garden courtyard, nab a coveted sunbed by the rooftop terrace pool or have a spicy tequila Earth cocktail in the intimate 12-seater Jade Bar. Don't miss the private members' club like Punch Room either, where mixologists will magic up potent tonics amid interiors done up in rich velvets and woods.
Italian cuisine is very much on the menu, with high-end local dishes like Cavaleri spaghetti – conjured up with three types of tomatoes, grilled octopus and tempura zucchini flowers with prawns, served up by chef Antonio Gentile at flagship eatery Anima, with a focus on seasonality. Out top tip? Book a table on the light-filled terrace that epitomises the indoor-outdoor vibe of the hotel; you will want to linger to soak up the ambiance, and people watch, even after you've sipped the last of your post-meal espresso
