Hotel Parlamento, Rome: A Boutique Stay with a Rooftop Terrace Near the Trevi

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Some hotel rooms are just somewhere to sleep. Ours at Parlamento Boutique Hotel came with a secret: open a pair of tall wooden doors and you step straight out onto a sun-warmed rooftop terrace of terracotta tiles, greenery and flowers, with the rooftops of Rome all around you.

It's a small, quietly stylish hotel in a 17th-century building in Rome's Spagna district, about 300 metres from the Trevi Fountain. It isn't a grand palazzo hotel and it doesn't try to be. What it gives you is a calm, central base for exploring the historic centre on foot, and a rooftop that turns every afternoon into a little ritual for two.

Our stay at Hotel Parlamento

The hotel has just 19 rooms, all renovated, and it feels more like a well-kept home than a big hotel. Our room was soft grey plaster walls, warm wood floors, a tall padded headboard with a wrought-iron Colosseum drawn on the wall above it, and two sunny yellow cushions that made us smile every time we came back in. Like most rooms in Rome's historic centre it's compact, so the real luxury here is the light and the space outside.

Why we'd book a terrace room again

Parlamento has a rooftop garden terrace that all guests can use, and a few rooms that open straight onto outdoor terrace space. The hotel lists a Double or Twin Room with Private Terrace, and for a couple, that's the one we'd ask for. Having the terrace right outside your door changes the whole rhythm of the day: you come back from the Forum or the Vatican, kick off your shoes and step outside instead of collapsing onto the bed.

Up there it's all terracotta tiles, wrought-iron tables, big potted plants, a tall cactus and bright geraniums, with ochre and pink palazzi on every side. It isn't a famous-monument view. It's something we loved more: the everyday rooftops of Rome, the sky and the quiet, a few floors above some of the busiest streets in the city.

Our favourite moment was the simplest: two little bottles of chilled Soave, a table in the sun and a toast to the afternoon. Slow, unplanned and very Roman.

Breakfast

A continental buffet breakfast is included. You can have it in the breakfast room, ask for it in your room, or, in spring and summer, take it out on the rooftop terrace, which is exactly what we'd do. The hotel says gluten-free and vegan breakfasts are available on request, so mention it when you book.

The location: Rome on foot

The hotel is on Via delle Convertite, just off Via del Corso, between the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. This is the part of Rome where you hardly need a taxi:

• The Trevi Fountain is about 300 metres away, so you can see it early in the morning or late at night when it's at its calmest.
• The Spanish Steps and the elegant shopping streets around Via Condotti are a short, easy walk.
• The Pantheon and Piazza Navona are around ten minutes on foot, perfect for an evening wander.
• Via del Corso is right around the corner for shopping and gelato.
• Trajan's Forum and the Roman Forum are a pretty walk away, and the Colosseum is a longer walk or a quick taxi.

For Trastevere and the Vatican, we'd take a taxi there and walk home the long way if our legs allowed.

Our tips for couples

• Ask for the terrace. Book the room with private terrace, or message the hotel to ask for a room with terrace access. Only a few rooms open onto it.
• Make the rooftop your aperitivo spot. Pick up something chilled on your way back, go up before dinner and let the city slow down around you.
• See the Trevi at the quiet hours. Being this close means you can go first thing, before the crowds, and again after dinner when it's lit up.
• Pack light. The hotel is on the upper floors of the building with a compact lift, so carry-on bags make arrival much easier. Our Italy packing list for two has everything we bring.
• Use the front desk. Reception is open 24 hours, and the team can book museum and tour tickets, restaurants and an airport shuttle for a small extra charge.

Our favourites nearby

A few of the places we'd plan around a stay here:

• The Trevi from above. A drink at the window of the RoofTop Lounge at Hotel Fontana, directly over the fountain. It's in Rome for two.
• Sunset at Oro Bistrot. The rooftop beside the twin domes of Trajan's Forum is our favourite golden hour in the city. Our whole evening, from sunset to Trastevere, is in Rome after dark.
• Carbonara near the Pantheon. Handmade pasta at Osteria da Fortunata, also in Rome for two.
• The Vatican, properly. The small-group tour that made the Sistine Chapel make sense: the Vatican for two.
• The Colosseum arena floor. Walk in through the Gladiator's Gate. Here's arena floor or underground, honestly compared.

Hotel Parlamento or a Colosseum view?

We love Rome in two very different ways. Hotel Parlamento is the one for walking everywhere: the Trevi, the Pantheon and the Spanish Steps on your doorstep, and a rooftop to come home to. If you dream of waking up to the Colosseum itself, read about Amazing View Colosseo, the apartment we keep going back to. Either way, the rest of our Rome is in Rome for two, and every stay we've loved is on our Hotels & stays page.

Quick questions

Where is Hotel Parlamento in Rome?

On Via delle Convertite 5, just off Via del Corso in the Spagna district. The hotel says it's about 300 metres from the Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps and the Pantheon are an easy walk.

Does Hotel Parlamento have a rooftop terrace?

Yes. There's a rooftop garden terrace with tables, plants and flowers, and the hotel also lists a Double or Twin Room with Private Terrace. In spring and summer you can have breakfast up there.

Is breakfast included at Hotel Parlamento?

A continental buffet breakfast is included. You can have it in the breakfast room, in your room on request or on the rooftop terrace in the warmer months, and gluten-free and vegan options are available on request.

Is Hotel Parlamento good for couples?

We think so: it's small and calm, the location lets you walk almost everywhere in the historic centre, and a terrace room gives you your own little rooftop ritual at the end of the day. Rooms are compact, as they usually are in central Rome.

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