Palazzo Dama

She must have been some dama. Rome’s Palazzo Dama is, in part, a tribute to the 18th-century marquise Anna Maria Malaspina, who, if the Palazzo’s elegantly composed interiors and perfectly discreet luxuries are any indication, was an enviable lady indeed. The location, just off the Ponte Regina Margherita and two streets over from the Piazza del Popolo, is nothing if not auspicious, and the villa itself is a stunner, its well-preserved exterior giving way to interiors that blend the historic with the contemporary in that inimitably untroubled Italian style.

With twelve rooms and suites, it hasn’t outgrown its private-villa intimacy — at this size, the staff knows you by name, and you just might become acquainted with your fellow guests, if you wish. And unlike some small city hotels, Palazzo Dama doesn’t go light on services — there’s a garden and a pool, both ideal venues for a morning coffee or an afternoon cocktail, as well as a small restaurant occupying the villa’s opulent dining room, and not one but two additional social spaces: the L’Autre Dame bar, with its secluded alcoves, and an underground nightclub fringed with velvet chaises, which is a bit more decadent than anything you’ll find in a more typical Roman boutique hotel.

All this, and you’ve still got the whole of the Italian capital at your feet. The city’s charms don’t need elucidating; suffice it to say that whether you’re a shopper, a sightseer, a gourmet, or (more likely) a combination of all three, you could hardly wish for a more conducive setting — and it’s a pleasure to have this particular dama waiting up for you when you turn in for the night.