La Fontana - Rome

Accommodates 4 — 2 Bedrooms — 2 Baths — Roof Terrace

For years, we hunted in vain for a rental in Rome with 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, terrace, air-conditioning, central location, and a responsible owner. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw this beautiful flat in the heart of the old Jewish quarter. What a neighborhood! When we first went to Rome 30 years ago, it was walking through the Jewish Ghetto which caused us to fall in love with the city. It hasn’t changed much since: narrow streets; buildings stuccoed in strong colors like burnt siena and ocher; family-run shops, especially for bed and bath linens; charming restaurants strategically placed in charming squares.

The ghetto is particularly convenient for both walking and public transport. The open-air market at Campo dei Fiori is nearby, as are famous tourist destinations like the Capitoline Hill, the Forum, Piazza Farnese, the Pantheon, and Piazza Navona. The banks of the Tiber are 2 minutes by foot, and crossing Tiber Island leads you to the most characteristic part of Trastevere, Rome’s Greenwich Village. Buses, trams, and taxis to take you everywhere else in the Eternal City are readily accessible at either Piazza Venezia or Largo Torre Argentina.

In one of the most beautiful squares in all of Rome, located in the very heart of the neighborhood, close to Via Falegnami and the Portico d’Ottavia, members of one of Rome’s oldest noble families have restored a gorgeous flat — La Fontana — which is one of Vacanza Bella's newest offerings.

On the American second floor of this patrician palace, La Fontana is an exceptionally large flat for Rome, about 1200 square feet. You enter into a long hall, off of which is a small, but very nicely furnished twin bedroom, with the beds placed lengthwise along one wall. This bedroom has its own full bath immediately adjacent off the hall. The corridor leads into a spacious, beautifully appointed L-shaped living/dining room filled with comfy sofas and chairs and lovely antique wood pieces and family paintings. This room looks out onto one of Rome’s most beautiful squares, at the center of which is the fountain which inspired our flat’s name. Floors are cotto, and ceilings are beamed. The effect throughout is one of welcoming, comfortable elegance. The eat-in kitchen is particularly well equipped with stove, fridge, microwave, clothes washer, dishwasher, American coffee maker, toaster, etc. The master bedroom has a matrimonial bed with its own full bath adjacent.

Perhaps the best part of La Fontana is that it has, via the little elevator of the palazzo, access to a beautiful roof terrace, for the exclusive use of the guests of this flat, enjoying stunning views over the rooftops of the city. There is a phone with possibility of computer hookup, as well as satellite TV and VCR. Windows are double-glazed for maximum quiet. Housekeeping is included an hour each day as part of the rental price. La Fontana is particularly suited to a family or for three or four adults, but the inequality of the bedrooms must be kept in mind. It is not a place for two couples.

La Fontana is for people, especially a family, looking for special, upscale accommodations in the very center of historic Rome.