Hotel Forum ★★★★

I was fortunate enough to be raised by two Italophiles – they went as far to name me after an Italian city – and was exposed to the riches that this most ancient of cities has to offer from a young age. Admittedly, when I was six, the last thing I wanted to do was traipse around cobbled streets looking at ruins. It wasn’t until I later developed a love of art and architecture (and absolutely not due to a love of Russell Crowe in Gladiator) that Rome really began to appeal again.

Since a lecture series at university sparked my fervent interest in the political ramifications of architecture and town planning, I have been able to talk almost limitlessly about the rich history of Italian cities, and Rome is my specialty. For this reason alone, my partner was “sadly busy” when I made my way to the airport. Never mind, this meant I was free to roam the Eternal City by myself. I could sip cappuccinos in piazzas and sample bucatini in trattorie; follow the routes of Renaissance ceremonial processions and stop at sights I had previously only seen in textbooks; all without worrying whether he was not entertained.

Housed in a former convent dating from the eighteenth century, five minutes from the Coliseum and twenty minutes from Piazza di Spagna, the Hotel Forum is a dream for culture lovers on a Roman holiday. Its rooftop restaurant is also a major asset, serving buffet and à la carte at lunch and dinner, with stunning, uninterrupted views of the Roman ruins. The amiable staff make a particular effort to satisfy their vegetarian guests, rare in the country home to ossobuco, prosciutto crudo, and quinto quarto.

But, if you’d rather grab lunch on the go, the hotel is located in a vibrant area with plenty of bars and restaurants, while remaining less tourist-mobbed than the hub of Trastevere. With Colosseo metro just 500 metres away, the Forum Hotel is also conveniently situated for transport connections to explore the rest of the city. While the neighbourhood of Monti is dynamic and lively, the hotel inside is calm and quiet, offering a cool refuge from the tourist-mobbed streets.

After a long day spent admiring the art and architecture of Sant’Ignazio, the Borghese Gallery and the Palazzo Doria Pamphilij, the affable staff at the Hotel Forum greeted me with typical Italian amiability and a delicious welcome cocktail in hand. Arriving in my sumptuous Superior Room was like arriving home: a sensation completed when I wrapped up in a fluffy white robe and curled up in my deep armchair with Goethe’s Italian Journey. Some rooms are traditional, Louis XVI-style, with antique furniture and opulent upholstery; others are more contemporary. Throughout, however, the rooms boast large windows and all modern conveniences; the bathrooms are clean and classic.

Having indulged in a leisurely breakfast at the hotel, I slipped into my gladiator sandals and ventured out once again to spend the day further exploring the city that still bears the architectural souvenirs of ancient empire, holy capital and fascist dictatorship. Of course, I detoured slightly via a gelateria or two, but hey, when in Rome.

Nowadays, the sun might well go down on the Empire, but there is no better place to watch the dusk settle over the Roman ruins than from the Hotel Forum.