The photo above is a section of Rome from above, taken by my daughter from the 7th floor terrace of Hassler Hotel, Rome during our ‘mother and daughter trip’ to Rome last week. Hassler is a legendary five-star hotel of Rome at the top of the Spanish Steps where many famous people had stayed including Audrey Hepburn. (Click the link “Way up to Hassler from the Spanish Steps” to see the magnificent location of the hotel (hotelhasslerroma.com))

Spanish Steps (La Scalinata di Trinita dei Monti) with ‘Fontana della Barcaccia‘ in ‘Piazza di Spagna‘ at the base and ‘Trinità dei Monti’ church on top. (You can hardly see the place like this since the area is mostly packed with so many tourists.) (Photo: hotelhasslerroma.com)

Hassler Hotel is owned by the twins Roberto Jr. and Veruschka B. Wirth, the third generation of the Swiss hotelier family running the property. In an interview made with them by Forbes magazine, they reveal that the ‘Presidential Suite San Pietro’, located on the 6th floor, was Audrey Hepburn’s home in Rome during the filming of “Roman Holiday” in the early 1950s, a very pleasant film shot in Rome, the magnets of which still adorn the souvenir shops in Rome to this day – as we also witnessed in our recent trip to Rome with my daughter.

Entrance of Hassler Roma (hotelhasslerroma.com)

Audrey Hepburn and her first husband Mel Ferrer having dinner at the Hassler Hotel, January 1960 (Photo: threads.net) / Audrey Hepburn and her beloved Yorkie Mr. Famous leave Hotel Hassler, on Piazza Trinità dei Monti, 1960 (Photo: vanityfair.com)

In our previous trip to Rome as a family just before the pandemic, we visited Hassler Hotel following the footsteps of Audrey Hepburn, my ever lasting icon, but could not up the hotel’s terrace for it was closed then. We had also dropped by Babington’s Tea Rooms, just beneath the Spanish Steps, which Hepburn used to go. We had also had tea in ‘Caffè Greco‘ (click for the link), another historic cafe in the street ‘Via dei Condotti‘ across the Stairs.

The Hassler Panorama (Photo: hotelhasslerroma.com)

I would also like to mention “ Il Palazzetto” here, a boutique hotel overlooking the Spanish Steps – with two panoramic terraces, a wine bar and a location for private events. Il Palazzetto, once the residence of a noble Roman family, had been created by Roberto E. Wirth, the previous President and Managing Director of the Hotel Hassler (the father of Roberto Jr. and Veruschka B. Wirth), who acquired the place in 1999. Guests at Il Palazzetto are welcome to use all of the Hassler Roma’s facilities including its breakfast rooms. (hotelhasslerroma.com)

Rooftop wine bar and terrace of Il Palazzetto – where you can also have delicious pizza with a view of the Spanish Steps (Photo: hotelhasslerroma.com)

Another place to mention here is Villa Medici, a 16th-century villa located on the panoramic Pincio Hill above ‘Piazza di Spagna‘. The villa with beautiful gardens and a terrace is now home to the French Academy, founded by King Louis XIV, where artists reside and create their art.

French Academy Villa Medici, with a beautiful panoramic city view (Photo: turismoroma.it)

A guide book I bought from Rome refers to the place as “the most beautiful villa in Rome” and mentions it as “one of Rome’s most amazing secrets” and gives the tip that you can spend a night at one of the two historic suites offered by Villa Medici, which were once the apartments of the Medici family… (The book “Soul of Rome“, by Carolina Vincenti)

Villa Medici, Rome – open for individual visits or guided tours, and accommodation at its historic and classic rooms, as well as exhibitions, concerts and private events such as parties, dinners, fashion shows, film projections and corporate meetings. (Photos and info: villamedici.it)

As soon as our plane landed in Rome last month, my daughter and I left our luggages to our hotel and headed to Piazza di Spagna (Spanish Steps) by a white Roman cab the hotel arranged for us. It was quite time saving to start our first destination by a cab from the hotel since we walked a lot throughout the day in the city – more than 20,000 steps! After we got out of the cab, we were enchanted by the atmosphere in the Piazza di Spagna believing hardly that we were actually there… After we inhaled the beautiful inspiring air of the place, we searched for the trattoria (Italian lunch place) I had noted years ago and had pasta there – our favorite dish.

Piazza di Spagna – a picturesque square at the bottom of the Spanish Steps owing its name to the ‘Palazzo di Spagna‘ that had once housed the Embassy of Spain (Photo taken by my mobile phone on September 11, 2024)

My daughter and I at the Spanish Steps, built in 1723–1725 – (Photos taken by my mobile phone, Sept. 11 and Sept. 14, 2024)

Just to the right of the Spanish Steps at the corner, is the house of the English poet John Keats
(Keats-Shelley House Museum) (Photo: cntraveler.com) / On the left corner of the Stairs is ‘Babington’s Tea Room‘, established by two English women in 1893, and became popular immediately among heads of state, aristocrats and international celebrities (Italia.it) (Photo:wantedinrome.com)
(I didn’t know about John Keats house with a historic library and terrace – a target for our next visit to Rome.)

Our first meal at Rome – Delicious pasta at ‘Fiaschetteria Beltramme‘, a trattoria nearby the Spanish Steps / ‘Antico Caffè Greco‘, Rome’s oldest coffee bar on Via dei Condotti at the marble tables of which once Keats, Byron, Welles or Diana drank coffee… (Photo: coffeesphere.com)

Via del Corso – A long main shopping street where ‘Grand Hotel Plaza‘ is located – the hotel once frequented by Federico Fellini, selected as a film location of many films like ‘The Innocent‘ (by Visconti), ‘Ocean’s 12‘, ‘Gangs of New York‘ (by Martin Scorsese) (grandhotelplaza.com) as well as ‘Book Club‘ and ‘John Maverick 2‘. (Photo shot by my mobile phone, Sept.11, 2024)

Inside Grand Hotel Plaza / My daughter in front of Tiffany’s, subject of the classic iconic film “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” starring Audrey Hepburn (on the street ‘Via dei Condotti‘ of brand stores near Spanish Steps)(We watched Breakfast at Tiffany’s together shortly before leaving for Rome.)

After the Spanish steps and surroundings and Hotel Hassler, our next stop was Trevi Fountain – one of the most famous fountains in the world with an incredible Baroque beauty, also a location of Fellini’s Dolce Vita. A fountain of magical beauty! We found the bakery which was in my daughter’s list just across the fountain and had the maritozzo we bought from there sitting on the steps near Trevi fountain. Trying the traditional Roman pastry of maritozzo (a soft dough filled with cream I had mentioned in my older post “Two Films, Two Tastes… (Part 2)”), was a target for us since we saw it in the Italian film ‘Love & Gelato‘. Just like the pistachio gelato, which was also in the film. The pistachio gelato we tired afterwards from a shop nearby the fountain was extraordinary!

Our first encounter with the Trevi fountain – illuminated at night (Photo by my daughter, Sept.11, 2024)

With our pistacchio gelatos, an Italian classic, near Trevi Fountain / My daughter posing at the fountain, Sept. 14, 2024

Maritozzo and pistachio croissant at ‘L’Antico Forno – Fontana di Trevi’ (Photos: Facebook of L’Antico Forno / Pinterest)

In the season four of “Emily in Paris“, my favorite jolly Netflix series which was released in September 2024, Emily visits Rome – as a coincidence, at the same period when my daughter and I were also in Rome! No wonder that one of the series location was the Trevi Fountain…

Emily (Lily Collins) riding around the city on the back of Marcello’s (Eugenio Franceschini) vespa / Emily and Marcello tossing coins into the Trevi Fountain (Photos: Giulia Parmigiana/Netflix via people.com)
(Marcello explains to Emily that, to properly make a wish, a coin should be tossed over left shoulder using right hand after turning back to the fountain. He says: “One coin means you’ll come back to Rome someday, two means you’ll return and find the love of your life, and three means you’ll get married.“ (netflix.com))

Pantheon, Rome – A former Roman temple of the gods housing tombs like of the Italian kings, now a church, located at the center of historic centre of Rome. (Photo: visititaly.eu)

Our next stop after Trevi was Pantheon, with an impressive architecture. It was already night so we couldn’t go inside. There was a construction nearby but we could still had a pizza somewhere around having a partial view of Pantheon – as my daughter wished.

A way we passed on our way to Pantheon where cartoonists were lined drawing Roman cartoons of tourists / Dinner (pizza) facing Pantheon (Photos taken by my daughter, Sept.11, 2024)

After our dinner, we decided to have some tiramisu, our favorite Italian dessert, at a tiramisu place we know. On our way, we passed by Piazza Navona, a famous square in Rome with a beautiful architecture. Unfortunately, there was a construction in the area and the square was partially closed.

Piazza Navona, Rome (Photo: romesightseeing.net) (I remember my daughter playing near the fountain in this square while we were dining at a restaurant there, on our previous visit to Rome.)

We headed then to “Mr. 100 Tiramisu” – a tiramisu place with a warm setting also serving cured meats, cheese and wine, which we had liked on our previous visit to Rome years ago. It is unbelievable but they do make 100 different kinds of tiramisu!

Front of ‘Mr. 100 Tiramisu‘ (Via dei Sediari 11/12, Rome) – nearby Piazza Navona (100 mt). We had our tiramisus outside since there was no place inside. (Photo by my daughter) / We are in front of Tira-Menu showing 100 varieties of Tiramisu:)

Following Mr. 100 Tiramisu, we walked back to our hotel late at night and on our way just closeby our hotel, we decided to climb a lighted hill ahead of us at my daughter’s request. Thank God she requested that… We ended up in a stunning divine square with statues and beautiful white buildings which seemed so magical at the middle of the night, where you could grasp the eternal beauty of Rome. We later found out that our final stop was Capitoline Hill, nearby Piazza Venezia, which we dropped by several times afterwards.

Victor Emmanuel II Monument, dedicated to the unification of Italy and Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of Italy, overlooking the famous Piazza Venezia – taking its name from Palazzo Venezia, a former papal residence and later the seat of government, now a museum (britannica.com)
(We passed by this monument of stunning beauty several times. Unfortunately Piazza Venezia was under construction and we couldn’t go inside.)

Stairs leading to “Piazza del Campidoglio” on “Capitoline Hill” designed by Michelangelo – a hill with magical beauty at Rome’s historical center (Photo taken by my daughter, the night of Sept. 11, 2024)

Piazza del Campidoglio on Capitoline Hill – a daytime photo (Photo: treasuresofrome.it) – location of Capitoline Museums, as well as ‘Rome’s City Hall‘.)

At Piazza del Campidoglio, you can find the Capitoline Museums, the oldest public museums in the world – housed in ‘Palazzo dei Conservatori‘ and ‘Palazzo Nuovo‘, having a donation collection of 1471 from the Vatican. Inside are valuable ancient sculptures and works by artists like Caravaggio and Michelangelo, including the Capitoline Wolf (bronze sculpture of the she-wolf nursing the twin brothers Romulus and Remus) – the symbol of the foundation of Rome according to legend. (turismoroma.it)

Gallery of Capitoline Museums, displaying more than 100 sculptures from different periods (Photo: museicapitolini.org) (We did not go inside the museum as my daughter was not keen on a museum visit and we had a lot to see outside, yet I think I can convince her to go inside this marvelous place on our next visit.)

We had a glimpse of though, this amazing statue of the museum from a doorway… (Photos taken by my daughter, Sept. 14, 2024) (The giant 1st century Roman marble statue is called ‘Marforio‘, one of the “talking statues of Rome“, interpreted as the personification of Ocean or a river (turismoroma.it).)

A scene of the 2023 film ‘Book Club: The Next Chapter‘ shot at the Capitoline Museums – a sweet rom-com in which four best friends travel through Italy in celebration of Vivian’s (Jane Fonda) upcoming wedding. Film locations in Rome included Capitoline Museums. (Photo: Riccardo Ghilardi / FIFTH SEASON, LLC via cntraveler.com)

Our schedule in Rome was so busy that although we passed by Capitoline Hill several times, we forgot to visit “The Mouth of Truth” (was on my daughter’s list) closeby – an ancient marble male face mask which became famous following William Wyler’s 1953 movie ‘Roman Holiday‘, starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck… The marble disc dates back to he reign of Tarquinio the Superb, the last of the seven kings of Rome and placed in 1632 in Piazza Bocca della Verità on the wall of Basilica Santa Maria in Cosmedin – its location today. (turismoroma.it)

Jolly scenes from the film ‘Roman Holiday‘ near the ‘Mouth of Truth‘ (Photos:  romesightseeing.net / americanclubrome.org)
(Gregory Peck (playing a reporter) shows Audrey Hepburn (playing a princess) around Rome in a vespa and at one point they visit the Mouth of Truth, where Peck tells her about the medieval legend according to which the mouth could bite the hand of liars…)

Note also Palazzo Barberini, Palazzo Brancaccio, and Palazzo Colonna – sumptuous and lesser known ‘Roman Holiday’ movie locations in Rome.

Palazzo Barberini (National Gallery of Ancient Arts), Rome (Photo: turismoroma.it) / A scene of the film Roman Holiday in Palazzo Brancaccio, the filming location for the interior scenes of Princess Ann’s Embassy in the movie “Roman Holiday“. (Photo: americanclubrome.org) (The movie portrays Palazzo Barberini as the location from the outside. Palazzo Brancaccio in elegant Baroque style is regarded as the final noble residence of Rome, built in 1880.(gpsmcity.com))

Galleria Colonna in Palazzo Colonna (a Roman Holiday film location) (Photo: americanclubrome.org) – One of the most sumptuous private palaces in Rome dating back to the 14th century where the Colonna Family still live. The place near Piazza Venezia is mentioned as a hidden gem. Note that Roman Baroque gallery of Palazzo Colonna can only be visited on Saturday morning. (‘Visit Rome Italy’ website (romesite.com))

Although we didn’t actually visit a museum in Rome, Rome itself is like an open-air museum – with its mysterious and inspiring narrow pastel-colored cobblestone streets…

Beautiful inspiring streets of Rome (artistic shots by my daughter)
(Via dei Coronari is a famous cobble-stoned street of Rome with boutiques, galleries, antique stores, and buildings dating back to the 15th and the 16th century.)

When you walk through the beautiful streets of Rome, you pass by historical buildings and each time you turn a corner you either end up in a breathtaking piazza or come across a statue or a fountain of thousands of years old…

The Turtle Fountain, dating from the late Italian Renaissance, located in Piazza Mattei, a small quaint square in the Jewish Quarter / Late morning on Via della Reginella, nearby Piazza Mattei
(Photos: dreamstime.com / Jenny Zarins via contraveler.com)

Scenes from the film ‘Book Club: The Next Chapter’: Trevi Fountain and Via Dei Coronari (Photos: cntraveler.com)

I will stop here and continue with our Roman trip at my next post…