Reviewed by Abigail Hole
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HOTEL SANTA MARIA - REVIEW
Hidden down a driveway lined with ivy, this is a haven of peace in Italy’s scooter-whirring, sight-packed capital. Glossy-leafed orange trees shade the gravelled courtyard at its centre - a glorious summery retreat with flowers and myrtle bushes. Around it are 18 bungalow-style rooms, including some huge family suites. It's a conversion of a 17th-century convent, but feels thoroughly modern.
Trastevere is Rome’s loveliest and liveliest neighbourhood, a cobbled maze of lanes filled with bars, restaurants and small shops. Like Paris' Left Bank, you find long-term locals mingling with map-flapping tourists, American students, boho alternative types and the occasional homeless person with a dog on a string. The district’s café-ringed main piazza, glinting with magnificent medieval mosaics, is just around the corner. Despite its prime location, Santa Maria is peaceful, the only disturbances being birdsong, church bells and the occasional vivid Italian discussion issuing from the flower-laden apartments around. |
