Inside Palazzo Talia: Rome’s hidden luxury hotel near the Spanish Steps
This former school and home to the secretary of a Pope was recently renovated by an Italian film director and is moments from the Spanish Steps. You will not want to leave.
This former school and home to the secretary of a Pope was recently renovated by an Italian film director and is moments from the Spanish Steps. You will not want to leave.
Location
Palazzo Talia nestles in the heart of Rome, five minutes’ walk from the Spanish Steps, an incredibly busy corner of the city. Our amiable taxi driver ducks, weaves and pivots but can’t find a clear path to the hotel’s front door, blocked by a phalanx of cars parked hither and thither. The creative occupation of every available square centimetre of space in bumper-to-bumper configurations by teeny Fiat Topolinos and other pocket-sized cars is an Italian art form comparable to da Vinci.
We need not worry, though. Palazzo Talia’s doorman is as eagle-eyed as a crack sniper and before we have even climbed from the taxi he has weaved his way through cars and milling tourists to retrieve our luggage.
First impressions
In the blink of an eye, the bustling crowds melt away as we pass through a pair of enormous wooden doors into the cool interior of a 16th-century palazzo. Overhead is an epic 1940s Murano chandelier; ahead, an avenue of potted palm trees leads into a large, whisper-quiet courtyard garden. It’s instantly apparent this hotel is something special. Vintage Gae Aulenti Locus Solus chairs stand at the discreet reception desk, and contemporary floral-hued rugs soften stone floors. The feeling is of a private home rather than a hotel (there are only 26 guestrooms), a mood conveyed during the relaxed check-in by staff nattily attired in uniforms by designer Claire Crowley.
Design
Built as the residence of the secretary to Pope Leo X, the palazzo more recently served as a prestigious school. This new incarnation feels more Fellini than Francis; more cinematic than papal. Talia is the first hotel project for Italian movie director Luca Guadagnino (Call Me by Your Name), who oversees an in-demand design studio. He was given responsibility for humanising the palazzo’s cavernous public spaces, including the stunning 248sq m, fresco-daubed Aula Magna (Great Hall), and commissioning artists to fashion contemporary furniture and lighting as an elegant counterpoint to the grandeur.
The restoration was headed by developer Elia Federici, whose family have taken on this palazzo as a passion project. They remain very hands-on; daughter Angelica personally oversees the hotel’s food and beverage operations.
The rooms
Let’s start with the walk to our room on the first floor, or piano nobile. We seem to have wandered off-piste, perhaps into the Galleria Borghese, as we stroll a long hall beneath 8m ceilings, gazed upon by some 50 Roman busts discovered lying about when the Federicis began their epic four-year renovation.
Guestrooms and suites, each individually decorated, have been designed by an all-female team from Mia Home Design Gallery and Laura Feroldi Studio. The junior suites on the piano nobile are 40sq m with lofty ceilings; rooms on the upper floor are smaller, from 25sq m, and have lower ceilings but are just as charming.
Our junior suite (No 109) could not be more romantic, overlooking the courtyard garden and across to the dome of the church of Sant’Andrea delle Fratte. With the large windows thrown open we can hear a soprano running the scales at the music school next door. Custom hand-blown Murano wall lights, crimson velvet sofa and chairs, and photos by Elisabetta Catalano of the city’s artists in the 1960s and 70s bring mid-century glam to the building’s ancient stone walls. The bathroom feels like a Roman grotto, with sea-green tiles in the shower and a deep-green marble vanity; even the hidden drawers are fashioned from marble. The minibar has a coffee machine and Alessi kettle with posh teabags by a Florence outfit.
At the end of the piano nobile, dwarfing a cluster of contemporary sofas, the magnificent Aula Magna serves as a reading lounge or entertainment space but can be booked with three adjoining guestrooms to create a vast presidential suite. The hotel’s other premium suite features a large garden terrace.
Dining
Scattered with copies of The New York Times and Cabana magazine, the stylish lounge morphs into the bar, which in turns leads into the restaurant. From here, tables spill into the courtyard where trees and palms in outsize terracotta pots provide shade and plenty of nooks for tete-a-tetes. Chef Marco Coppola is from Sorrento and some of that southern sunshine has found its way on to his menu. It includes a trio of oysters from Venice, Puglia and Sardinia; the most perfect fritto of seafood and vegetables that includes fried lemon as sweet as pineapple; and Marco’s signature dessert, a feather-light sponge soused in lemon cream.
Wellness
The sumptuous day spa is tucked beneath ancient barrel-vaulted ceilings lined with mirrored tiles. There’s an indoor pool, gym, sauna, Turkish bath and two treatment rooms.
The bar
Where to for an aperitivo? The courtyard. Or Bar della Musa? It vies with the Aula Magna as the hotel’s most beautiful room. Lined with hand-blown Murano glass panels to reflect the gorgeous 16th-century ceiling frescoes, the cosy space features tables topped with lava stone by Sicilian artist Rosario Parrinello. Ask the dapper Calin to whip up a negroni.
Likes
The location cannot be beaten. And the staff are lovely, making guests feel thoroughly at home. More teabags? No probs. Cold milk? Fresh and served from a silver jug. Cappuccino after midday? Sure.
Dislikes
Being so close to the Spanish Steps means the surrounding streets are jam-packed. The best solution? Don’t leave this magical hideaway.
Tariff
Rooms from €700 ($1160) a night.
Christine McCabe was a guest of the hotel, a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World.
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