If you can drag your eyes away from the mouthwatering boutique fronts of Rome's Via dei Condotti for a moment, you'll see behind you some large and private wooden gates. They may not gleam and glitter like the window displays, but what lies behind them is dazzling.
These doors are a portal into a former, more splendid age. Doric colonnades lined with statues lead up to a wing of the 16th-century Palazzo Ruspoli. Above the all-marble staircase, imperial busts gaze onto fabulous antiques, and rare Gobelin tapestries rub shoulders with 500-year-old oil paintings (one of which artfully conceals a cinema screen). This is where Emperor Napoleone III and his mother, the former Queen of Holland, lived. Now it's home to the welcoming and unpretentious Princess Letizia Ruspoli, who has made 2 apartments (sleeping 2-5) available to the select few. If you have always wanted to stay somewhere fit for a king - or an emperor - this is your chance.
Highs
- A secluded haven on Via dei Condotti, the epicentre of Italian high fashion
- Textiles and décor that radiate traditional royalty; we felt like kings during our revisit
- Lovely staff who cannot do enough for you, and a personal butler who unobsequiously caters for your every whim, and breakfast is included in the rates
- All modern comforts (iPods, DVD library, lift) to ease museum fatigue, plus silent air-conditioning to ensure a good night's sleep
- Stunning views of Rome from the Roof Garden Suite
Lows
- The Napoleone Suite's bathroom and kitchenette are less spacious
- Such luxury comes at a hefty price
- Some might find the décor a bit OTT, but this is a royal residence!
Best time to go
Rome is a world-class city with something happening at all times of the year. Perhaps the time to avoid is midsummer (July-August) when it gets very hot. Late March, April, September and October are the busiest times. Winter (mid-November to mid-March) is quiet, with fewer tourists - art-lovers, shoppers, pilgrims and history buffs.
Our top tips
The Spanish Steps are moments from the hotel, so go and visit first thing before the crowds arrive.
- Luxury Apartments
- 2 apartments
- Breakfast only (+ walk to restaurants)
- All ages welcome
- Open all year
- Pool
- Spa Treatments
- Beach Nearby
- Pet Friendly
- Disabled Access
- Car not necessary
- Parking
- Restaurants Nearby
- WiFi
- Air Conditioning
- Guest Lounge
- Terrace
- Garden
- Gym
- Daily Maid Service
- Towels & Bedlinen
- Concierge Service
- Laundry Service
Rooms
The Napoleone Suite displays late baroque opulence at its best, from the marquetry of the furniture to the parquetry of the floors. Step in from the dazzling Lazio sun to the cool sombre tones of a suite vast enough to house 6 huge oils and a sumptuously canopied bed. What's more, one of the oil paintings opens to reveal an exquisite, if bijou, marble bathroom with a huge tub. Another leads to a walk-in powder room, or dressing room. You also have a small kitchenette and a pair of magnificent reception rooms, the Green Room and the Yellow Room, at your disposal. The Napoleone Suite is a ripe contender for the most majestic hotel suite in the world!
You can also book the Napoleone Suite with the adjoining Blue Room (a double bedroom), located at the top of the wooden stairs in the Yellow Room. It's charming, cosy and named 'blue' after its lovely Chinese vases.
There's also the Roof Garden Suite, which we are still yet to see; a penthouse apartment reached via a steep spiral staircase. Leading on from the elegant sitting room, furnished with smart loungers and pots of lavender, is the airy terrace that overlooks the Spanish Steps. The double bedroom features a super-modern bathroom with a vast soaking tub. The suite can be paired with a cosy ensuite double bedroom on the lower level too – a very respectable alternative to the Napoleone Suite and Blue Room pair!
Features include:
- In-room treatments available
- Safe box
- WiFi
Eating
Guests are served a continental breakfast of pastries, jellies, yoghurts, fruit and breads in their suite. The smooth, unobtrusive efficiency of your personal butler's service will be hard to beat, as will the elegant presentation on white china and period silver.
For lunch and dinner, guests are left to their own devices. The Napoleone Suite has a kitchenette (fridge/freezer, oven), and staff can recommend and secure tables at seemingly impenetrable restaurants nearby. We'd recommend Dal Bolognese for traditional, home-cooked Italian food, and Café Romano for tasty cocktails and rich pasta dishes. Vintage cafés include the famous Caffè Greco, once a haunt of Keats, Casanova and Wagner (they weren’t together), and the 19th-century Babington Tea Rooms.
Features include:
- Breakfast
- Restaurants nearby
Activities
- Cool your heels in the boat-shaped Barcaccia fountain in Piazza di Spagna
- It's just just a 5-minute stroll from the Spanish Steps, so these are an obvious stop on your itinerary
- Swoon at the haute couture on display along Via del Corso and Via dei Condotti
- Admire the painstakingly recreated Ara Pacis (a modern alter to the Roman goddess of peace) on the Via della Ripetta
- Marvel at the engineering of Hadrian's second most famous construction, the Pantheon, home to Raphael's tomb
- First-timers in Rome will love all the usual suspects - the Forum, the Colosseum, Trastevere, St Peter's Square, the Vatican, the Trevi Fountain...
- If your head starts to spin from cultural overload, grab a cappuccino at the bohemian Caffe Greco, Goethe's old local; or indulge in some of the tantalising gelato
Activities on site or nearby include:
- Historical sites
Kids
Children are welcome - cots and an extra bed are available.
Family friendly accommodation:
A family should book the Napoleone Suite and Blue Room together, which creates a 2-bedroom apartment; it can sleep up to 5 people plus a baby cot. The Roof Garden Suite can also be booked as a 2-bedroom suite; sleeping up to 4 people plus a baby cot.
Cots Available, Extra Beds Available
Babysitting:
Babysitting is available on request.
For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection
Location
The Residenza Napoleone III is at the heart of Rome's classiest district, at the other end of the Via dei Condotti from the Piazza di Spagna, on Largo Goldoni. You're within easy walking distance of the Spanish Steps, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain and Tiber.
By Air:
Rome is served by 2 airports: Leonardo da Vinci/Fiumicino (26km), where most international flights arrive, and Ciampino/G.B.Pastine (20km), for mainly domestic flights. Click on the links below for a list of airlines serving these airports.
From the Airport
You can take a taxi, or La Residenza can arrange collection in a chauffeur-driven car for a similar price - see Rates. The journey from the airport is 10-20 minute drive. An alternative is to take the Leonardo Express train from Fiumicino to Stazione Termini (every half hour).
By Car:
Taking a car into Rome is no joke, but if you are driving anyway, there are paying carparks nearby (enquire when booking). If you do want to hire a car see our car rental recommendations.
Detailed directions will be sent to you once your booking is confirmed.
More on getting to Italy and getting around
Airports:
- Rome - Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino 30.0 km FCO
- Rome - Ciampino 20.0 km CIA
Other:
- Beach 27.0 km
- Shops 0.1 km
- Restaurant 0.1 km