High above the heat and clamour of Rome, Terrazza Romana offers a welcome pocket of calm. Crowning Hotel d’Inghilterra, the beautifully designed rooftop bar feels pleasantly removed from the busy streets below, while remaining unmistakably part of the Eternal City.
Recently reopened for the season, the terrace looks across Rome’s rooftops towards Villa Medici, San Carlo al Corso, the Quirinale and the Vittoriano. Beneath lemon trees and Mediterranean herbs, guests can settle in with a signature cocktail or a well-made classic and watch the light begin to soften. It is an ideal place to end a day in Rome and begin the evening.
Part of the Starhotels Collezione group, the hotel stands just moments from the Spanish Steps, with a history that reaches much further back. Before becoming a hotel in 1845, the 16th-century building served as a guesthouse for visitors to the nearby Palazzo Torlonia. Its name came from the English poets and aristocrats who made it a favourite stop on the Grand Tour. From that literary beginning, the address went on to attract royalty and later, film stars.
Left: The Terrazza Romana looks across Rome’s terracotta rooftops towards Villa Medici, the 16th-century residence on the Pincian Hill that houses the French Academy in Rome.
Right: Beyond the terrace’s olive trees and gardens rises the great Baroque dome of the Basilica dei Santi Ambrogio e Carlo al Corso, commonly known as San Carlo al Corso.
Its guest book reads like a cultural history of Rome. Mark Twain, Henry James, Oscar Wilde and Ernest Hemingway are among the literary names associated with the hotel, while Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck, Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly and Tom Cruise bring a suitably cinematic note. The terrace itself is a recent arrival, but the hotel’s long connection with Hollywood lends the rooftop a little of the glamour of Rome’s golden age of cinema.
The new drinks list draws directly on the city. Terra & Sole combines tequila, Aperol, Cointreau and coconut milk in a cocktail inspired by Rome’s golden hour. The alcohol-free Respiro Estivo brings together watermelon, Tanqueray 0.0, orange, vanilla-infused honey water and Mediterranean tonic. The namesake Terrazza Romana uses fig liqueur, rosemary syrup and extra-dry Prosecco to express what the hotel describes as the terrace’s Roman soul.
L-R: Selection of light bites at Terrazza Romana: mini burger, club sandwich, and burrata, tomato and basil salad; assortment of summer cocktails and, for those with a sweet tooth, the unforgettable Dolce alla Liquirizia, which pays homages to Calabria, known for its high quality licorice.
Executive Chef Andrea Sangiuliano has created a dedicated menu of small dishes to accompany the drinks. Highlights include octopus carpaccio alla Luciana with tomato, capers and olives; raw red prawn with a Caprese twist; beef tartare served in the style of saltimbocca; and polpettine cacio e ova, meat-free meatballs made with pecorino, egg and tomato sauce. Everything is prepared in the hotel kitchen, and the portions are designed for an aperitivo that can stretch naturally from sunset to starlight.
Terrazza Romana is open to hotel guests and outside visitors. Walk-ins are welcome and no reservation is required, although arriving early is sensible at such an intimate address. Few places offer a better excuse to rise above Rome’s streets, order another drink and enjoy a view shared, across generations, by some of the city’s most celebrated visitors.
More information and bookings, HERE.
Author: Rebecca Dickson
Other exceptional places to eat, drink and linger around the world this summer recommended by I-M Inquisitive Minds include El Cortijo Santa María 1962 in Sotogrande, Coq d’Argent London and Sirene by Gaia, in Dubai.
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