Sometimes I feel very lucky indeed. I was invited with a small group of bloggers to the exquisite 5 star Regina Baglioni in Rome for a 2 night stay.
The hotel is a stone’s throw from the Villa Borghese gardens and the heart of Rome, in the Via Veneto, well known from the La Dolce Vita of the 1960s. The street was recreated within the confines of the Cinecitta studios for the film, but the real street became the gathering place for the beautiful people.
Via Veneto retains its elegance, even though Marcello Mastroianni doesn’t drop by any more. The Regina Baglioni is a regal Roman retreat for modern travellers.
The hotel was built between 1892 and 1894 and owes its name to Queen Margherita of Savoy, who resided at the hotel after the assassination of her husband King Umberto I, while waiting for her new house to be built. It is directly opposite the hotel and is now the embassy of USA.
The hotel retains original aspects of Art Deco design, has magnificent Siena marble floors and trims and hand made Murano glass chandeliers. The foyer and breakfast rooms are enchanting, why wouldn’t a queen want to stay here?
Our room was an elegant and restful retreat from the chaos and noise of Rome.
Lunch was at the very stylish Brunello Lounge and Restaurant, a recent addition to the hotel. The food was delicious (I think it may have been the best tiramisu I have ever eaten) and the service was friendly and quietly efficient.
A very special treat was aperitivo in the luxury suite at the top of the hotel. The suite has 3 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, a kitchen and dining room, elegant living areas, a terrace offering views of Rome and a private pool…what more could you want? We all wanted to stay forever.
Thank you very much to Baglioni Hotels and especially to the charming Raffaella and Beata who were our guides for the day. The next post will be about La Grande Bellezza – The Great Beauty – tour of Rome. We were taken to many of the scenes featured in the celebrated Italian film which recently won the Academy Award for best foreign film.
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Regina Hotel Baglioni…Via Veneto, 72