Photos courtesy of Chapter Roma.
WHY I CHOSE IT
I chose Chapter Roma for two reasons: it puts you right in the middle of old Rome, and it's nothing like the gilded, old-fashioned hotels the city is full of. It's fun, full of character, and feels like old Rome meets 1930s Manhattan.
First, the location. The hotel is on a quiet side street in Regola, one of Rome's oldest neighbourhoods, where the streets are still named after the craftsmen who once worked in them. Most of what you came to see is a walk away: the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Campo de' Fiori and the Ghetto, with Trastevere just across the river. Many of our members spend a few days in Rome before or after Florence, and here those days are spent on foot rather than in taxis.
Then, the style. The interiors are by Tristan du Plessis, the South African designer behind Chapter Chianti, so if you stay at both, you'll recognise the family look. The 1880 building was restored as a nod to the pot and cauldron makers who gave the street its name: metal and brick, dark wood and deep colours, and a real collection of contemporary and street art in the shared spaces, including a lime-wood sculpture by Willy Verginer with a memorable title, Where Has the Stockbroker Gone?
One honest note: this is a design hotel with a cocktail bar downstairs and some buzz around it, not a hushed, classic one. If you love a little life around you, it's a joy. If you prefer quiet grandeur, look at our other partners first.
AT A GLANCE
Where
Via di Santa Maria de' Calderari 47, between Campo de' Fiori and the Jewish Ghetto, in the historic centre of Rome
To the Pantheon
About 10 minutes on foot
Rooms
42 rooms and suites, from compact rooms for one to suites
Eat and drink
Campocori, a modern Roman restaurant listed in the MICHELIN Guide; the Hey Baby cocktail bar, where breakfast is served; and Hey Güey, a Mexican-inspired rooftop bar, in summer
Design
Interiors by Tristan du Plessis; bespoke furniture by Italian artisans; art by Willy Verginer, Drew Merritt, Cyrcle, Alice Pasquini and Warios
Getting there
About 20 minutes by taxi from Rome Termini station, and about 45 minutes from Fiumicino airport. The centre is best explored on foot.
Check-in and check-out
Check-in from 3.00pm, check-out by 12 noon
BEST FOR
A few stylish days in Rome before or after Florence: a central base where you can walk almost everywhere, and a good bar to come home to.
AROUND THE HOTEL
Old Rome, right outside the door
Chapter Roma sits in one of the most layered corners of the city, where Roman ruins, Renaissance palazzi and the oldest Jewish quarter in Europe share the same few streets. This is a part of Rome best discovered on foot, early in the morning or in the golden hour before dinner, when the stone turns honey-coloured and the locals come out.
The streets around the hotel are still named after the crafts that once filled them: the key-makers of Via dei Chiavari, the rope-makers of Via dei Funari, the trunk-makers of Via dei Baullari. Chapter Roma's own street takes its name from a vanished church, Santa Maria in Caccabariis, "Our Lady of the pot-makers", after the craftsmen who made copper pots and cauldrons here. The church was pulled down in 1881 to make way for Via Arenula, just a year after the hotel's building went up.
My advice... pair it with Florence. A few days here for the ancient city, then the train to Florence for the Renaissance, and on to Chapter Chianti if you want the countryside too.
ABOUT 3 MINUTES ON FOOT
Largo di Torre Argentina
A sunken square of temple ruins, close to where Julius Caesar was killed, and today home to a famous colony of cats.
ABOUT 10 MINUTES ON FOOT
The Pantheon
Nearly two thousand years old and still roofed by its original concrete dome. Go early, or come back at night when the piazza glows.
ABOUT 5 MINUTES ON FOOT
The Jewish Ghetto
Around the Portico d'Ottavia, one of the oldest Jewish quarters in Europe. Come hungry: this is the place for carciofi alla giudia, the crisp fried artichokes Rome is famous for.
ABOUT 10 MINUTES ON FOOT
Piazza Navona
Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers at the centre of a square shaped like the ancient stadium it was built on.
ABOUT 5 MINUTES ON FOOT
Campo de' Fiori
A market square by morning and a lively meeting point by night, with the hooded statue of Giordano Bruno watching over it all.
ABOUT 10 MINUTES ON FOOT
Trastevere
Just across the Tiber by Ponte Sisto or Ponte Garibaldi: cobbled lanes, ivy-covered houses and trattorias for a long dinner.
ABOUT 15 MINUTES ON FOOT
Galleria Doria Pamphilj
A princely palace on Via del Corso, still home to the family, with Velázquez's portrait of Pope Innocent X, two Caravaggios and a gallery of mirrors. Book the guided visit of the private rooms, a separate ticket, to see where the family actually lived.
ABOUT 15 MINUTES ON FOOT
Palazzo Altemps
Ancient sculpture in a Renaissance palace just off Piazza Navona, and one of Rome's quietest museums. Don't miss the Ludovisi Throne, carved in the 5th century BC, and the dramatic Galatian Suicide. Closed on Mondays.
ABOUT 30 MINUTES ON FOOT· ANA'S FAVOURITE
Domus Aurea
Nero’s Golden House, buried for centuries beneath later buildings, and the closest most of us will ever come to a real archeological adventure. Excavation work is still going on, you visit in a small guided group wearing a hard hat, and a virtual reality section shows the rooms as they once were, gilded and frescoed. Open Friday to Sunday only. Book well ahead on the Colosseum’s official website, and bring a layer: it’s cool underground all year.
STEP 1 · BOOK DIRECT
Book with the hotel's reservations team
For Chapter Roma, you book directly with the hotel's own reservations team, the people who will look after you during your stay. The easiest way is the form below: we'll send your request straight to them, so they'll know at once that you came from us. Or, if you prefer, write or call them yourself using the details below. Either way, they'll reply with availability, rates and any current offers, and your booking, payment and any changes stay with the hotel.
BEFORE YOU BOOK
Want to see the rooms and prices first?
You’ll find them on Chapter Roma’s own website. When you’re ready to book, write to the reservations team using the form below.
Bookings made online, even on the hotel’s own website, don’t include Privileges.
THE RESERVATIONS TEAM
Phone
Mention Ana’s Secret Guide when you book, so the hotel knows you came from us and your stay qualifies for Ana’s Secret Privileges. It adds nothing to your bill, but it can’t be added after you’ve booked.
Privileges comes only with stays booked through Chapter Roma's reservations team, not with bookings made on the hotel's website, Booking.com, Expedia or other booking sites. Chapter Roma pays Ana's Secret Guide a commission on bookings made this way. It costs you nothing and never affects what we recommend.
STEP 2 · REQUEST PRIVILEGES