Above the Rooftops of the Eternal City
Occupying the top floor of this historic hotel, a few minutes from Piazza di Spagna and Via Condotti, the Penthouse Suite comprises 80 square metres of interior space and a remarkable 70-square-metre private terrace. From here the view stretches from Villa Medici towards the Vittoriano, with the Quirinale Palace among the landmarks visible across the rooftops. The panorama also connects neatly with the hotel’s origins as a stopping point on the Grand Tour. In 1837, Marino Torlonia, Duke of Bracciano, commissioned architect Antonio Sarti to restore and enlarge the palazzo, which became a destination for the artists, intellectuals and British aristocrats arriving in Rome. The latter were so numerous that the property became associated with England, eventually giving Hotel d’Inghilterra its name. Its guest book would go on to include Oscar Wilde, Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway and Henry James. Following the hotel’s extensive recent restoration, that history has not been tidied out of existence. The Penthouse centres on an original 19th-century fireplace in yellow Siena marble, set within a light-filled living room connected to a dining area and study. Contemporary works sit alongside...
