Condominio Monti

Rome has seen an extraordinary flowering of small, residential-style hotels, and Condominio Monti is a fine example. Its small size means it can be tucked discreetly into a residential neighborhood, in this case the hilly Monti district, a short walk to the north of the Colosseum or to the east of the Trevi Fountain. It occupies a pair of century-old apartment buildings whose interiors have been transformed into a stylish and contemporary boutique hotel.

It’s got traditional single and double rooms on the lower floors, but unlike a lot of Roman boutiques it’s also got the option of a triple, a quadruple, a family room, or a 70-square-meter suite, complete with its own private terrace with a view of the Colosseum. At all sizes they’re colorful and comfortable, with tasteful modern furniture and rain showers, plus up-to-date amenities like Marshall sound systems.

While Condominio Monti resembles other low-key Roman boltholes in its somewhat minimal services, there’s a delightful breakfast served on the fifth-floor terrace. And for a proper Roman restaurant, Monti is practically littered with them — beginning on the ground floor of the building, home to the cozy Osteria Oliva.