At number 9 Via del Babuino, where the street meets the northern arc of Piazza del Popolo, a neoclassical palazzo that once sheltered Picasso, Cocteau, and the young Gogol was returned to Roman society in 2000 as Hotel de Russie, its rusticated travertine facade and wrought-iron balconies restored under the direction of Rocco Forte Hotels with interiors by Tommaso Ziffer. The building's history as a favored address for artists and intellectuals gave Ziffer his central brief: less grand hotel, more cultivated private residence, with a palette of sage, taupe, and warm stone running through all 120 rooms and suites. The genius of the property is its secret garden — a sequence of terraced levels climbing the Pincian Hill behind the building, fragrant with clipped box spheres, citrus trees, and stone balustrades draped in wisteria, the whole arrangement visible through the arched entrance passage as you arrive. Ziffer's interiors carry this botanical vocabulary inside: rooms are dressed in olive velvets and toile de Jouy-style fabrics, brass swing-arm reading lamps positioned over upholstered headboards embroidered with the double-headed eagle crest, dark-stained case furniture trimmed with hammered hardware. The bar lounge, anchored by a large contemporary canvas of Rome and flanked by white plaster casts on plinths, sets contemporary art in deliberate tension with classical form — a conversation the hotel has been sustaining, quietly and with considerable assurance, since the day it reopened.

No travel notes provided yet.

Located between two of Rome’s most picturesque piazzas, Piazza di Spagna and Piazza del Popolo, Hotel de Russie is one of the Eternal City’s most prestigious luxury hotels. An enduring favourite of artists and writers, stars and politicians, Hotel de Russie was dubbed “paradise on earth” by French poet Jean Cocteau in 1917, and the accolade still stands today. Visit our stunning Mediterranean tiered Secret Garden, with rose bushes, orange trees, and mature pine, and listen to the gentle sounds of the small waterfall flowing between three nymphaeums, to experience the magic for yourself. Indulge in one of the best aperitivo experiences in the city in our Stravinskij Bar, sipping expertly-mixed cocktails under the stars. Surrender to bliss in the sublime Irene Forte Spa and dine on fine Italian classics in Le Jardin de Russie before heading up to enjoy exceptional comfort in the stylish surrounds of your luxury room or suite in the heart of Rome.