Hotel Santa Maria

Activities

Rome has layer upon layer of historical sights – you could be here for years and not see them all. But let's start with Trastevere, Rome’s "Left Bank", as that's where we are:

• Visit Piazza Santa Maria and its exquisitely-mosaicked church, just around the corner.
  
  
• Nearby Santa Cecilia has a moving sculpture of the martyr’s perfectly preserved body, as it was when her grave was opened over 1000 years after her death.
  
  
• Meander through the tranquil, exotic Botanical Gardens; see the neighbouring art collection of Palazzo Corsini and the Raphael frescoes at Villa Farnesina opposite.
  
  
• Walk up to San Pietro in Monteiro and visit the tiny Bramante tempietto, a classical masterpiece fitted snugly into a cloister.
  
  
• Wander farther up the hill and overlook Rome from the dizzy heights of Giancolo.
  
  
• Explore the area’s many restaurants and enotecas, wandering from bar to bar and people-watching, just like everyone else.
  
  
• Crossing over to the boat-shaped Tiber Island, the world's smallest inhabited island, in the middle of the river.
  
  
• Explore the major sites by taking one of the many tours run by the hotel's owner Stefano: there are city walks from 1-4 hours (€10-40pp), visits to the Vatican and all manner of small-group tours, both join-in (at set times during the day) and bespoke (if you book ahead). All guides are licensed and speak fluent English.