Rome Lodging
Ponte Sisto. With one of the prettiest patio-courtyards in Rome, this hotel offers its own blissful definition of Pax Romana. Inside, all is modern, but you're just seconds away from time-burnished Via Giulia. $$$$
D'Inghilterra. Lizst, Mendelssohn, Hans Christian Andersen, Mark Twain, Hemingway---and now you? Set on a potted-palm cobblestone stretch of posh Via Bocca di Leone, this albergo has a staff that is as warm as the surroundings are velvety. $$$$
Hassler. Set atop the Spanish Steps, this famous landmark was built to take advantage of the spectacular views, so come here to have all Rome at your feet. The hotel exterior may be ugly but the interiors have enough tufted velvets, satin drapes, and passementerie to please even Valentino. $$$$ (pictured above, right)
Aleph. The most unfalteringly fashionable of Rome's new class of design hotels, this has a just-this-side-of-kitsch theme that plays on Dante's Divine Comedy: enjoy walking the line between heaven and hell through the Angelo bar, the red-red-red Sin restaurant, and Paradise spa. $$$--$$$$ (pictured right)
Locarno. While this has been a longtime choice for art aficionados and people in the cinema, everyone will appreciate this hotel's fin-de-siecle charm, intimate feel, and central location off Piazza del Popolo. $$--$$$$
Britannia. Set in a very regal white villa, smartly outfitted with black shutters (and a not so smart neon sign), this spot exults in attention to detail. $$--$$$ (pictured below)
Hotel Santa Maria di Trastevere. This Trastevere treasure with the ivy-covered Mansard roof has a pedigree going back four centuries. $$
Margutta. For a good value as well as fine location in the Spanish Steps area, try the Margutta. The owner-managers are exceptionally friendly. $--$$
Casa di Santa Francesca Romana. Not far from some of the sweetest nooks and crannies of medieval Trastevere, this former monastery, centered around an impressive ochre-colored courtyard, is a great buy. $
Panda. A night at this comfortable spot will cost you less than most of the baubles for sale in the surrounding Piazza di Spagna shopping district.
Smeraldo. Superb location (in the Campo de' Fiori area) at a reasonable price makes the Emerald hotel a gem.
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