Wrapping up our trip with a night in Rome had always been our plan, though when we booked several months ago we encountered difficulties securing a reservation for just one night as 2025 happens to be the Roman Jubilee, a holy year which occurs every quarter of a century and is one of the Catholic Churches major global events. Because of this it seems most hotels require a two night stay and rates are trending much higher than normal.
My travel agent worked his magic at Palazzo Roma where I had stayed with several girlfriends a year ago, a visit that started on shaky ground but turned out to be terrific; you can read about it here. Palazzo Roma is part of the Shedir Collection which will open the Palazzo Shedir in the near future, spoiler alert, it looks amazing. We have stayed at the Shedir’s Hotel Vilòn in the past as well which we also enjoyed (read the review here). The main takeaway, the Shedir Collection is small and stylish with over the top interiors that are worth a visit.
What made the time of our visit to Rome even more exciting was that it coincided with the tail end of the conclave, there was a chance we were going to be in Rome when the new pope was named! As it turned out a decision was reached the day before we arrived, but the overall feeling of celebration continued following the announcement. The city which was expected to be overflowing with visitors due to the Jubilee was literally swarming with people, but thankfully they were all quite exuberant!
We had a car bring us down from Montalcino mid-morning arriving in Rome just in time for lunch, and were greeted warmly by the hotel staff.
Since our visit was to be so brief we booked ourselves into a Junior Suite, but when we arrived we were met with the good news that we had been upgraded to a very grand and expansive suite overlooking the Via Del Corso. Upon touring it I immediately wanted to extend our trip a few days to fully take advantage of how fabulous it was, but alas we had to get back home.
My husband hadn’t been with me during my last stay at Palazzo Roma so I quickly gave him a tour of the common spaces, whimsy mixed with stunning frescoes and architectural details as well an eye catching palette.
As it happens there is a room honoring Popes of yesteryear, very apropos!
My sister and brother-in-law opted to stay at the Bvlgari where they were booked for three nights; curious to check it out we decided to have a quick lunch there before wandering (shopping) for the remainder of the day. The Bvlgari is located just a 10 minute walk from our hotel on the Piazza Augusto Imperatore and is much grander in scale and design than the Palazzo Roma, fully clad in Italian marble it is very much a monumental edifice. The area around it is under some construction but the outdoor Caffè was an oasis, enabling us to soak in the atmosphere and refuel.
I have been to Rome and seen the sights many times over the past few years, so with just a couple of hours at my disposal I simply wanted to wander around the city popping in and out of enticing stores. My sister and I sent the guys to people watch on the Spanish Steps for a while, and then we met back up again; aside from all the big designer names the small streets are filled with quirky shops and some great vintage stores, in particular Dakota which featured well curated and well priced Gucci pieces. The dollar is no longer as strong as it was, but when you factor in the VAT refund you can always justify “a deal”.
Before we knew it it was 6 pm. Our dinner reservation wasn’t until 9:00 pm so we returned to the hotel to freshen up and change and then it was back to the Bvlgari for drinks on the rooftop at La Terrazza. My sister and brother-in-law had reserved a cabana so we arrived at 8 to meet them there, though we first had to navigate a security protocol that was so intense it may have been easier to cast a vote in the conclave. IPad wielding gatekeepers met us at every turn, ultimately being escorted the final few steps by a hostess; when we finally joined them we were absolutely ready for a cocktail. The terrace did afford lovely views of the sunset over the city, but unless Pope Leo was having drinks up there as well, the security seemed a bit overwrought.
The dinner reservation was my choice, La Matriciana dal 1870 is a classic restaurant by every measure: career waiters outfitted in crisp white jackets, a antique Berkel by the door and few Americans. Getting a reservation was tricky, we had to pull in not only my travel agent but the manager of the hotel as well as a trusted source in Rome to reach out to the restaurant as they maintained they were completely full. Thankfully perseverance paid off and our group was seated at 9:15 ready for a feast; it turns out they were not exaggerating, guests continued to stream in even as we left at 11:30. If you have just one night in Rome and want to experience a perfect meal try to get yourself to La Matriciana. It is not the very best food you will have (if we had two nights the second night would be at Roscioli) but it manages to hit all the high notes.
My mouth is watering just looking at these photos, and yes, they happily accommodated me with gluten free pasta.
It seemed impossible, but we did manage to save room for homemade ice cream with fudge sauce, ethereal tiramisu and pistachio semifreddo to die for. This was the perfect meal to end our trip.
Unfortunately our flight was too early to allow us to enjoy the wonderful breakfast I experienced at the Palazzo Roma during my last visit, but they did pack us some treats to-go which sustained us throughout our journey home. We arrived back in the US safely via Delta which was obviously of utmost importance, but next time I will be flying Emirates both in and out of Milan for a better experience.
