It feels more like a tiny office space than one of the world’s most outstanding hotels. That’s your first thought entering the Inn at the Roman Forum. The lighting is bright and fluorescent in the lobby, with only a little desk and a small couch for decor. And then, as one staff member scribbles down your passport number, another takes your bags and swings open a door to the first century. Just behind it, a narrow entrance opens onto the hotel’s own private ancient ruins.
This is not an exaggeration. The dark crypt with its winding caverns and ancient well is simply a room behind a door at reception. Take three steps and you’re in the echoing stone silence of a place two millennia old. Instead of a welcome cocktail, you’re handed a cup of tiramisu and left wide-eyed fifty years before Christ.
Welcome to the Eternal City.
I dropped into a contemporary armchair and admired the few decorations against the patina of the brown, scarred walls. A marble bust. A pink orchid. And on the table in front of me, a laminated page detailing a brief history of the space.
Despite the fact that it feels exactly like a tomb, a cryptoporticus is in fact a covered corridor or passageway. This one, the page explained, was only discovered and excavated in 1887. There hadn’t been a full investigation into its significance, yet. After all, it had only been 140 years since its discovery. For Rome, that’s yesterday.
It’s a lesson I learned over and over. In the States, our appointments with history require reservations. In Rome, simply walk and keep your eyes open. That works especially well when you’re staying at the Inn. Just a block or so from the Forum, where the Rome of antiquity once met for government and celebration, almost every major attraction lies is just a short walk from base.
And every time I’d return, I’d enter the crypts once more just to sit, to stare, and to center myself in the one private ancient space I had entirely to myself. The hotel keeps the door open 24-hours a day, although too late at night I could only remain there a few minutes at a time before jogging up the stairs to my room. Decorated in a classic style, with a canopy bed and shuttered windows, my room felt perennial as well.
But it’s the public spaces where the hotel undoubtedly shines. On the ground floor, the windowless crypt. At the very top, a terrace with a view, and a spiral staircase to an even smaller platform, a vantage point with a wide eye on the city beyond. I’d sit there too, surveying the city and fanning the sense of wonder that comes from a place this old and storied. I didn’t make it to the Colosseum or the Pantheon this trip. But at the Inn, I had my own piece of history.
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Nuts & Bolts
A bite-sized breakdown of your most frequently asked questions about the Madrona.
Who comes here?
Guests come here for one of two reasons. Either they want a hotel near the major attractions of Rome, or they’ve specifically read about the crypt at the Inn and they want to be near the major attractions of Rome. The location, and the way the hotel fits into its historic surroundings, make this one of the most special spots in Rome.
When’s the best time to visit?
This is one of the greatest tourist cities in the world. Whenever you can visit, visit. That said, the busy season lasts spring through fall, and the summer heat can feel relentless. It’s those months when hotel guests spend the most time in the cool, dark crypts.
What else is there to do in the area
The Roman Forum is a five minute walk, the Colosseum is ten, and just around the corner from the hotel is the major thoroughfare and shopping scene of Via del Corso. None of the major sites are out of bounds when you stay here. Or simply wander the historic, winding streets and pop into the dozens of tiny restaurants and gelaterias.
Also note: Inn at the Roman Forum has a sister property, the Inn at the Spanish Steps. Guests of either are welcome to pop into the other for a rest and a refreshment while sightseeing.
Best room for a solo traveler? A couple? A family?
The rooms and suites within the main building will likely suit solo travelers or couples best. However, there are great options for families here, too — something of a rarity in Rome. In adjacent buildings, the Inn hosts one to three bedroom apartments perfect for larger groups, with the same full service of the standard rooms as well.
What’s a design feature I would miss if you didn’t tell me about it?
The crypt will grab most eyeballs, but note too the other wonderful public space — the terrace with a mesmerizing view of the city, and the spiral staircase up to another little platform with an even more satisfying view.
What’s there to eat?
The concierge will make you a reservation anywhere you like, but the hotel itself has a great complimentary breakfast at the upstairs lounge, a space set just inside from the outdoor terrace. Aperitifs are served here as well, every day from five to eight in the evening.
What’s the final word?
Iconic spaces in a charmed location — this is the perfect base for a trip to Rome.
Book the Inn at the Roman Forum on the MICHELIN Guide →
Top image: The Roman Forum
