The Eternal City awakens to a new voyage at sunset
Orient Express opens its first hotel in a seventeenth century palazzo on Rome's Piazza della Minerva, where the beginning of any journey starts with views across ancient rooftops towards the Pantheon dome.
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Orient Express, the iconic luxury train company owned by Accor, has opened its first hotel in a 17th century palazzo in Rome, offering 93 rooms and 36 suites, each with its own distinct character. The palazzo occupies an entire island site on Piazza della Minerva, steps from the Pantheon, where Bernini’s elephant obelisk watches over the entrance, one of the most recognisable landmarks in Rome’s historic centre.
The metamorphosis of what was built in 1620 and formally known as Palazzo Fonseca, having welcomed guests since 1811, fell to French architect Hugo Toro, who brought contemporary sensibility while preserving Roman character. The rooms transport guests into the golden age of rail travel: each accommodation pays tribute to this heritage with details such as bespoke bedside trunks and wood details that mirror those found in Orient Express carriages. The bedding itself, luxe linens from Rivolta Carmignani, matches those in the train’s sleeper cars.
La Minerva serves as the natural starting point for journeys on La Dolce Vita Orient Express, with the hotel concierge arranging transfers to the private Orient Express lounge at Rome Ostiense station. The hotel sits at the nexus of past and future travel, where dusk falls across centuries of Roman architecture and the next voyage begins.
Imagery courtesy of Orient Express La Minerva (@orientexpresslaminerva).
