Mama Shelter Roma

Even more than most major European cities, Rome needed something like Mama Shelter: something hip, youthful, stylish, but not ruinously expensive or outrageously exclusive. It’s set in the Prati district, just to the north and west of the Vatican, and its ultra-modern irreverence is a dramatic contrast to Vatican City’s grandeur. At 217 rooms, it’s not small, and its public spaces are lively, decorated in a style that’s roughly one part classic modernism to two parts playful postmodernism.

Signature Mama Shelter gestures like bedside masks and street art–inspired graphics are present as a matter of course, and the rooms range in no-nonsense fashion from Medium and Large to XL. The tiled bathrooms are a hint of what you’ll find downstairs at Mama Baths, a colorful space containing a Roman-style swimming pool as well as a steam room, sauna, and gym.

Mama Pizzeria’s concept needs no elaboration, while the Giardino d’Inverno, or winter garden, serves Roman comfort food like ravioli cacio e pepe; the rooftop, meanwhile, features a solarium, sunbeds, and an island bar, and serves drinks with a view over the Basilica di San Pietro and the surrounding city.