Italy: Rome Cavalieri Hotel
At the Rome Cavalieri Hotel, a glamorous luxury hotel in a 15-acre private park on a hillside overlooking Rome and Vatican City, there's everything from gladiator training to exquisite dining at Rome's only three-Michelin starred restaurant.
Credit: (c) 2012 Waldorf Astoria
View Room Service in a larger map
Address
Via Alberto Cadlolo, 10100136 Rome, Italy 39/6/35-091romecavalieri.comDon't Miss
Dinner at 3-Michelin starred rooftop restaurant La Pergola.
The owner's collection of art, on display throughout the hotel, which includes a a crib commissioned by Napoleon for his baby son, prints by Andy Warhol, and vases by Gallé. Free online podcast guides offer more information about highlights from the collection.
One-of-a-kind experiences, such as gladiatorial training.
Amenities
- 370 rooms and suites
- 24-hour in-room dining
- Grand Spa (four swimming pools, Turkish bath, marble whirlpools, and more)
- extensive concierge services on request, including a personal shopper
Nights at the Cavalieri are spent tucked in to crisp linen sheets, but by day the hotel offers a menu of Romanesque experiences: gladiator training (taught by instructors from Rome's Gladiatorial School; available on request from the concierge and open to all guests over the age of seven); racing along winding hilltop roads in Ferraris (and if you don't hear jazzy strains of Riz Ortolani during the latter there's something wrong with you); Japanese tea served under a trio of 18th century Tiepolo paintings in the hotel's 60s-chic-meets-the-Renaissance lobby. But the experience of dinner at the hotel's rooftop restaurant La Pergola—the only eatery in Rome with three Michelin stars—trumps all of the above. Led by the exacting chef Heinz Beck, the kitchen turns out precise and luxurious wonders: petite terrines of duck foie gras and apple topped with crunchy amaretti; fagottelli pasta filled with puddles of cream and pecorino; a fragile crystalline sphere of frozen raspberry gelée in pool of Early Grey tea-infused chocolate cream. Not that the fun and games end with dinner: Tea—served from a 19th century samovar—is accompanied by a treasure hunt for tiny petit fours tucked into a tabletop-sized chest of drawers. —Marne Setton
In the Area
- Cristalli di Zucchero: This pastry shop near the Piazza del Campidoglio sells feather-light cream-filled breakfast cornet prepared with sour-dough leavening, as well as cassata Siciliana, a sponge-cake made with sheep's milk ricotta. Via di San Teodoro 88; 39/6/6992-0945
- Da Oio A Casa Mia: The Roman classics at this raucous neighborhood trattoria—from the cacio e pepe (an elemental dish of pasta, cheese, and coarse black pepper) to the lingua in salmì (poached tongue with sharp, vinegary sauce)—are among the most faithful renditions you'll find. Via Galvani 43-45; tel: 39/6/578-2680
- Gelateria dei Gracchi: Locals gather in great numbers at this small shop in the Prati district for frozen treats prepared strictly with seasonal fruits, and for the rich, creamy gelati made with ingredients like Bronte pistachios. Via dei Gracci 272; tel: 39/321-6668
- Pizzarium: In this tiny space in the Prati district, a brilliant pizzaiolo named Gabriele Bonci bakes Rome's best pizza al taglio (pizza baked in slabs and sold by weight) from dough made with ancient sourdough starters. Via della Meloria 42; tel: 39/6/3974-5416. —Anya Von Bremzen
Related Stories
Eternal Pleasures »Easter in Rome»
Pizza Like No Other»
Your Comment