Residenza B is your own super stylish pied-a-terre complete with waving palms in Rome’s historic heart. The immaculate interiors of this architect-renovated 19th-century property are the kind you’d admire in a glossy magazine. Bouquets of freshly cut flowers add blushes of colour to the public areas, and bespoke design meets understated elegance from the breakfast room to the travertine bathrooms.
Its quartet of light and airy rooms share views over the manicured garden of Italy’s national gallery, allowing flights of fancy that you're staying in Palazzo Barberini itself. With years of experience in hospitality, Veronica and Camillo Barluzzi are warm and welcoming hosts whose many talents include comprehensive intel on the best local cacio e pepe in exactly the ambiance that you're looking for. You're centrally placed: palazzos, the Pantheon and papal enclaves are but a stroll away. Despite being embedded between several chic central districts, the soundproofing in the rooms ensures a sense of serenity when you’re recharging your batteries ahead of your next Roman adventure.
Highs
- The location is brilliant, with the Trevi Fountain, the Teatro dell’Opera, Termini station and much more within easy walking distance
- The service is discreet yet attentive. For example, if you need to swap out the goose down for hypoallergenic bedding, consider it done. House manager Fabio can also procure private tour guides, chauffeur-driven trips, and deliver perfetto espresso
- Rooms with a view: the tranquil outlook over Palazzo Barberini's gardens is a rare treat in the city centre
- Breakfast is a real highlight - what a spread!
Lows
- As this is a B&B, the management aren't on-site around the clock, but they're easily contactable
- It's a premium price in high season
- Only four rooms, so book ahead for popular times of year
- You'll need to venture out for other meals
- Only kids over 12 permitted to preserve the relaxed atmosphere
Best time to go
With Rome being a year-round destination, the shoulder months of May or September see less footfall and still offer buckets of sun for rooftop Negronis. Should you choose to come in the hubbub of the summer season, Residenza B is the ideal air-conditioned refuge.
Our top tips
This under-the-radar find can feel authentically hidden... to the point that there’s no sign on the exterior. You’ll find it secreted within number 4. Once inside, look to your left, up to the second floor (or take the elevator).
- Boutique Guesthouse
- 4 rooms
- Breakfast only; walk to restaurants
- Over 12s welcome
- Open all year
- Pool
- Spa Treatments
- Beach nearby
- Pet Friendly
- Disabled Access
- Car not necessary
- Parking
- Restaurants Nearby
- WiFi
- Air Conditioning
- Guest Lounge
- Terrace
- Garden
- Gym
Rooms
Chic and light-filled, the rooms' muted tones hand the spotlight to the modernist furniture and bespoke pieces designed by architect Stefano Dorata. A premium feel proliferates from the plush towels to the high quality Italian bed linen. The calm (sound-proofed) interior leads the eye to the green hues of the Palazzo Barberini gardens beyond, with palm fronds and cypress spires visible from every window. Each bathroom is a precisely trimmed chamber of caramel travertine featuring B Corp. certified bathroom products.
The four rooms range in size from the Classic's small but perfectly formed 15 square metres to the Deluxe Suite's 28. Honeymooners should gaze longingly at the Canopy Suite with its bespoke four-poster. And if you're travelling with a platonic partner, go for Tradition which can be set up as a twin. Underfloor heating keeps things cosy on cool spring mornings, while unobtrusive A/C keeps the summer highs at bay.
Features include:
- Air conditioning
- Hairdryer
- Iron
- Minibar
- Safe box
- Satellite TV
- Slippers
- Toiletries
- Underfloor heating
- WiFi
Eating
A homemade breakfast is served daily from 8.30am until 10.30am in the dining room. Spread across a striking black marble table, it's a generous and immaculately presented buffet – even the pears look hand-selected for interior harmony.
And it tastes as good as it looks. Sitting somewhere between a continental breakfast and a brunch, this generous offering includes fresh products direct from the farmers market, a pantheon of pastries, cereals, fresh fruit salad, eggs with avocado, omelettes, delicious cakes, fresh bread and more. There’s also a daytime tea service and each room’s mini fridge is replenished daily at no extra cost.
Features include:
- Breakfast
- Coffee maker
- Restaurants nearby
Activities
- You're right in the heart of the action here. Walk ten minutes and toss a coin over your shoulder into the Trevi Fountain; pose on the Spanish Steps (13 mins); and go boating in Villa Borghese (15 mins)
- Palazzo Barberini, home to Italy’s National Gallery of (older) Paintings, is next door
- Take a guided tour of Monti, one of Rome’s original rione (neighbourhoods) that mingles hipster markets with headline sights like the Forum and the Colosseum
- Nearby Via Panisperna is a nightlife gem, with speakeasy jazz spots and art gallery cocktail bars
- Browse the luxury boutiques (and enjoy the people watching) along shopping mecca Via Condotti
- Grab a macchiato at historic Caffe Greco where Goethe used to get his fix
- Book ahead for the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel, aim to get there early to try to avoid the crowds
Activities on site or nearby include:
- Historical sites
- Museums / galleries
- Nightlife
- Private guided tours
- Shopping / markets
Kids
Residenza B's tranquil and refined ambiance means it is more suited to families with older children who can have their own room, hence its 12-and-older-only rule.
Family friendly accommodation:
One extra bed can be added to the Grand Deluxe Room for a family of three. For siblings, the Tradition room is best with its twin bed option.
Extra Beds Available
For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection
Location
Residenza B is situated on Via XX Settembre in the heart of Rome. You'll be brief neighbours of Italy's president, residing at the Quirinal Palace just over the road. The glossy window displays of the Spanish Steps and Via Condotti are within a 15-minute walk.
By Air:
There are two airports: Fiumicino (30km), where most international flights arrive; and Ciampino (16km), for domestic and a few international flights.
From the Airport
Residenza B can arrange a transfer or it's easy to get a taxi. Alternatively take the airport train from Fiumicino into the centre of Rome and then walk or jump on the metro. From Ciampino you can catch the airport bus and then the metro. The nearest metro station is Repubblica.
By Train:
The nearest railway station, Termini Central, is a 20-minute walk. There are plenty of buses around too.
By Car:
It isn't advised to drive in Rome but if you do, there are paying car parks nearby. If you want to hire a car for onward travel, see our car rental recommendations.
Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.
Airports:
- Leonardo da Vinci Rome Fiumicino Airport 31.0 km FCO
Other:
- Beach 37.0 km
- Shops 0.6 km
- Restaurant 0.4 km