Hotel de Russie

The Hotel de Russie's trump card is hidden behind its 19th-century facade: a terraced garden climbing toward the Pincio, all orange trees, stone balustrades and butterfly-filled hedges, where Picasso and Cocteau once wandered when the building hosted Diaghilev's circle. In a city of hard travertine and traffic, this green amphitheatre is one of Rome's most valuable luxuries.

Rocco Forte runs the house with signature Italian understatement: interiors by Olga Polizzi in soft dove greys and Roman accents, service that is warm and unstuffy, and none of the gilt that weighs down some Roman palazzi. Rooms facing the garden are the ones to secure; upper terraces gaze across rooftops to St Peter's dome.

The Stravinskij Bar is a Roman institution for aperitivo, its garden tables the city's most pleasant place to end a day of sightseeing, while the restaurant serves polished Mediterranean cooking beneath the terraces. A compact but genuine spa with a hydropool adds rare-for-Rome wellness. With Piazza del Popolo at one door and Via del Babuino's antiques at the other, position and personality align perfectly.