Hotel De' Ricci

Hotel De' Ricci

Via della Barchetta is a quiet street in Rome's Regola quarter, a short walk from Piazza Navona, Palazzo Spada and Ponte Sant'Angelo, and here Hotel De' Ricci occupies three floors with only eight suites, part of Small Luxury Hotels of the World. Each suite carries its own wine cellar, stocked from a house selection of more than 1,500 labels and served through a Coravin system that lets a bottle be tasted a glass at a time without pulling the cork, an arrangement few hotels in the city bother to offer. Rooms range from a 24 square metre Junior Suite to a 67 square metre Deluxe Suite with Terrace, furnished with original vintage pieces and painted with frescoes by Andrea Ferolla depicting scenes of Roman life, the bathrooms finished in black tile with retro sinks. Downstairs, the Charade Bar leans toward cigars and spirits, and the restaurant, spa, sauna and on-call doctor round out a short list of services backed by a concierge desk that arranges tours and airport transfers. Reception runs 24 hours, staff speak English, French, Italian and Spanish, and pets travel for a flat fee. This suits a couple who would rather taste something rare in their own room than sit in a hotel lobby, and anyone content with eight suites instead of a large property's list of extras. It will not suit families or groups needing connecting rooms, since the whole building holds eight suites across three floors. The wine cellars are the detail few other hotels in Rome can match, and the reason some guests choose to stay in some evenings instead of going out. Eight suites in Rome's Regola quarter, each with its own wine cellar poured through a Coravin system from a 1,500-label list, vintage furniture and frescoes of Roman life throughout. A precise choice for two people who want to drink well and stay in some nights, not for groups.