With its dedication to making Italian craftsmanship the lynchpin around which each guest stay revolves, and a commitment to tactile indulgence that’s perhaps unrivalled across the city, Bulgari Hotel Roma would turn heads in London or NYC – in Rome, it’s a veritable blessing.
Just off the Via del Corso and around the corner from the Tiber River, Bulgari Hotel Roma overlooks the Piazza Augusto Imperatore, home to the Mausoleum of Roman Emperor Augustus. Though it’d be hard to miss the structure, the hotel reminds guests of its unique locale in the entrance vestibule: here, an original 1st-century BC statue of the emperor, carved in Pentelic marble and placed beneath an enormous Barovier & Toso chandelier, welcomed us as we first set foot in the greatly anticipated flagship of the Roman jeweller-gone-hospitality brand, which finally opened in its hometown in 2023. The company’s dedication to preserving culture is evident across the property, and the aforementioned statue – one of five from the Torlonia Collection, which were restored with funding from Bulgari and will alternate in being exhibited in the hotel – attests to the mission.
Across seven floors and 14,000 sqm/150,700 sqft of space, the Rationalist building, once the head office of the Italian Social Security Agency when it opened in 1950, boasts marble mosaics, Murano glass features, 1930s Ginori vases, displays of Bulgari jewels, countless artworks and photographs of the Rome loved by Fellini, alongside subtle touches like the green tea scent Bulgari aficionados will recognise from the brand’s wider portfolio. Like its sister properties, Bulgari Hotel Roma put Milan’s architectural studio ACPV Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel in charge of its interiors (architect Gennaro Farino of Studio Polis, meanwhile, spearheaded the renovation of the building itself), and each black marble portal on the ground floor reveals another stunning space: from a library and an exclusive lounge to Il Caffè, where the only thing served more than breakfast itself are the fashionable looks courtesy of your fellow guests.
The hotel’s 114 rooms, including 48 suites, are divided into colour schemes reflective of the four types of marble deployed across shade-matched bathrooms and terraces. While Superiors start at a cosy 33 sqm/355 sqft, the top-end Bulgari Suite is a 300 sqm/3,230 sqft extravaganza worthy of an Emperor (and appropriately enough, top-level Suites are accessed via recessed, wooden doors so wide, the most gluttonous Emperor could squeeze through them – sideways). It’d be hard to overstate the accommodations’ tribute to local craftsmanship, which places the property in a no-costs-spared category of its own in the Eternal City. Our top-floor lodgings were a walk through an Italian interiors catalogue, with B&B Italia, Maxalto, Altai, Flos, FontanaArte and other design giants all vying for our attention while Bulgari books, vintage ads and diamond patterns on curtains and mirrored walls oozed a sense of heritage and glamour.
You might think that the sheer wealth of detail would read as excessive, but Bulgari Hotel Roma embeds it into a tribute to artistry, and we never once found a feature that seemed glossy for the sake of glossiness. Storytelling and practicality go hand in hand, too, and details like Bulgari-branded espresso makers or sockets hidden within bedside tables, cleverly angled towards a guest as they lie in bed in a way reminiscent of sports car armrests, would delight even the most discerning of guests. So does turndown service, which borrows from resort properties with things like pillow mist, oshibori-style refreshing towels and ginger or peppermint infusions left bedside. Our bathroom, too, was generously furnished – think twin vanities, pumice stones and Mauli Himalayan healing salts for our daily soaks in a tub set beneath a mosaic roundel depicting, ovviamente, a Bulgari brooch. Just our outdoor sitting area, which would’ve afforded us prime Mausoleum views had it not been walled in for privacy, fell a little short of its potential.
| Perfect for | Fly into | Right on time |
| The Sophisticate | FCO | GMT +2 |
| While you’re Out There |
| The Museum of the Ara Pacis, which sits right next to the Mausoleum of Emperor Augustus and houses an altar that dates back to 9 BC and pays tribute to the Pax Romana, would be hard to miss while enjoying the views from the hotel’s La Terrazza rooftop. For a smaller and less visited (but equally fascinating) cultural institution, head to the comparatively small Museo di Scultura Anica Giovanni Barracco, which displays a collection of sculptures of varying origins, from Egyptian to Assyrian, Phoenician and more. |
Beyond our room and down the hotel’s mahogany-panelled and yacht-like hallways, several dining outlets lured with the promise of culinary indulgence. The aforementioned Il Caffè is a casual affair (relatively speaking, that is) open throughout the day. We loved the Arabic breakfast menu, which suited our plant-based diet rather well with its foul medames and shakshouka, though found that options like the Chinese breakfast or the hotel’s array of pastries couldn’t be made bespoke to our requirements. Between vegan chocolate spread and the frothiest of smoothies, however, we always found something to make our mouths water. Those looking for sweet treats during the day will find them at Bulgari Dolci, while the fifth-floor Il Ristorante – Niko Romito, which extends onto an outdoor terrace, cannot be missed.
Here, Executive Chef Claudio Catino and the team wowed us with escarole on pine nut cream, spaghetti e pomodoro, glazed aubergines and peaches and mint on melt-in-your-mouth, almond-based cremoso. This was just the dinner you’d hope for in a place like Rome, classic but elevated to appeal to a modern, health-conscious palate. We found service to be equally excellent, with our waiter having been knowledgeable about what constitutes a vegan diet, and capable of recommending dishes to select from the menu. That said, there were only so many options to choose from and vegetarians and vegans staying for more than just a few days will have to look elsewhere for variety (a missed opportunity, given Bulgari Hotel Roma can clearly do plant-based so well). Exit the restaurant via a vaulted corridor with polished walnut inlay and you’ll find yourself in the adjoining Bulgari Bar – all black marble, Murano glass and spirits to tempt a saint.
Having had our fair share of sinning in the bar, we had to swing by the hotel’s four-floor and 1,500 sqm/16,150 sqft Bulgari Spa and gym, where a 20-metre indoor pool from which eight arabesque marble columns rise to frame a waterfall feature set within a gilded alcove, makes for a seriously splashy dip in the water. We loved swimming laps here, surrounded by statues (and statuesque fellow guests) and with a glimmering mosaic floor beneath our feet. Though we didn’t book a treatment, we asked to take a peek at some of the nine treatment rooms, including a spectacular couples therapy suite divided into four spaces that include relaxation areas and an enormous ivory onyx hot tub. We instead chose to go on a thermal journey, alternating between the sauna, an ice fountain and the hotel’s steam room, all kindly shown and explained to us by the ever-helpful staff who, at the Spa reception, will even help you personalise your own Bulgari fragrance upon request.
In its capacity as the brand’s flagship property, Bulgari Hotel Roma quite literally hits a home run. While it doesn’t attempt to reinvent the wheel or do something particularly daring, the hotel excels at celebrating a typically Italian quest for beauty. Monumental architecture meets warm, caramel-imbued interiors with immaculate attention to detail that extends beyond the lobby into the rooms – a rarity in big-brand hotels. Most strikingly, this is a place to stay that looks outwards, showcasing art, design and craftsmanship by local makers both contemporary and historical. Guests, too, are encouraged to look outwards, most literally at La Terrazza, which offers a final surprise on the rooftop. Impressive in scale and affording visitors panoramic views on all sides, the space is replete with private cabanas, water features and countless plants. We made a beeline here each evening, ready to imbibe a drink as a DJ took to the turntables and night fell over the adjacent Mausoleum of Emperor Augustus. If he knew of his new neighbour, we thought, he’d be filled with wonder at the sight of such a gem.
Photography courtesy of Bulgari Hotels & Resorts
