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 a bas-relief by Roman artisan Felice Calchi; handmade lamps come from Vetrerie Empoli, while Dedar velvets and fabrics bring depth to the bedroom. It feels less like an exercise in reproducing a period interior than a very Roman habit of allowing different centuries to coexist.
The bathrooms continue the idea with large gilded-brass mirrors and richly veined Vagli Oro marble. There is a generous shower, but the detail likely to settle any argument over who bathes first is the bathtub itself, positioned to take in the city beyond.
The overall effect is extremely elegant but quite understated, letting the city views to take centre stage. The terrace, furnished for lounging and dining, is large enough for private entertaining but at the same time, sufficiently secluded for breakfast, an intimate aperitivo or dinner above the roofs.
That may ultimately be the Penthouse Suite’s greatest luxury. Rome is spectacular at street level, but also relentless. Up here, the monuments remain reassuringly present while the crowds disappear from view. The real privilege is the feeling of having Rome almost to yourself.
Hotel d’Inghilterra
Via Bocca di Leone 14, Rome
Bookings and reservations, HERE.
Author: Rebecca Dickson
More about Hotel d’Inghiterra in this review of its fabulous Terrazza Romana.
Other extraordinary hotels recenty reviewed by I-M Inquisitive Minds include the Montenapoleone Suite at Park Hyatt in Milan, Savoy 1918 in Oslo, La Ferme Saint Siméon in Honfleur, and Raffles in Bali.
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