THE ART OF ROMAN LIVING ABOVE THE SPANISH STEPS

HOTEL DE LA VILLE, A ROCCO FORTE HOTEL At the top of the Spanish Steps, where Via Sistina meets the terrace of Trinità dei Monti, an 18th-century palazzo holds one of the most privileged positions in Rome. Hotel de la Ville opened here in May 2019 under the Rocco Forte flag and has since settled into the capital's front rank, its windows looking out over the domes, bell towers and terracotta rooftops of the historic centre.

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The theme is the Grand Tour. Olga Polizzi, Rocco Forte's director of design, and the architect Tommaso Ziffer drew on the era when European aristocrats crossed Italy collecting art and ideas, and the interiors read like the spoils of that journey: hand-painted details, colourful textiles, curated antiques and contemporary artworks layered with evident pleasure. Every corridor and salon feels personal, as though assembled over generations. Across the 104 rooms and suites, classical elegance meets modern comfort, with marble bathrooms and handmade wallpapers by Rubelli and Dedar. Several top suites open onto private terraces above the city.

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Fulvio Pierangelini, Rocco Forte's creative director of food, oversees dining that runs from the courtyard restaurant Mosaico to Café Ginori, created with the Florentine porcelain house Ginori 1735, and the Julep Herbal & Vermouth Bar, whose infusions follow the old spice routes. The rooftop is the draw. Cielo fills at dusk with international guests and stylish Romans, cocktails and Mediterranean plates carrying the terrace from aperitivo into the small hours as the evening light turns gold.

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The Irene Forte Spa draws on Mediterranean tradition, pairing treatments built around produce from Irene Forte's organic farm in Sicily with cryotherapy, saunas, steam baths and cold plunge pools. Minutes from the crowds on the Steps, the treatment rooms are silent.

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Rome has rarely had more five-star competition. What sets the palazzo apart is character: the conviction that a grand address should feel inhabited, even a little theatrical. Its best argument comes at dusk on the Cielo terrace, when the dome of St Peter's catches the last light and the city below settles into evening.