Rome has a classy way of turning the Christmas lights on. The Pope comes to the Spanish Steps to perform the ceremony to the applause of a big crowd; it’s a kind of papal starting gun for the season.
The city is lovely at this time of year. It’s not so nakedly commercial as London; the decorations are less brash, the lights more tasteful. The small shops, which are still so evident in the city, have their pine and baubles and the open air markets have the wreaths and mistletoe alongside all the good things of the season, the Amalfi lemons, the Sicilian oranges, the nuts, the bunches of dried peppers.
There are chestnut sellers on the streets, all the bakeries are selling Panetonne (the best make their own) and the orange trees on the streets are still glowing with fruit. And although there are inane Christmas songs playing, they’re less ubiquitous than here. There is a big Advent market in the Piazza Navonna, which has a carousel and a fairground atmosphere for the children; round the square the stalls sell little crib figures for making your own Nativity scene.
In fact it’s the Nativity scenes that are the nicest element of the season in Rome, though it’s not as big a deal as in Naples. Every church has its Praesepe, or Nativity setting, which doesn’t just show the crib itself, but an entire landscape. It’s like a big, detailed painting, with assorted little scenes showing domestic interiors, shepherds, cook shops, various livestock and whatever else can liven up the story. Somewhere in the hills you may see the Three Magi on their way. The manger scene itself is usually crowded out by all the other activities, but you’ll find that baby Jesus is absent from the crib until Christmas Day. There are Praesepe outdoors too. There’s a big exhibition at the Vatican right now showing 100 of them from all round the world from Japan to Brazil, but the nicest are Italian.
In a way, the celebrations will go on all year. On Christmas Eve, the Pope will start the Jubilee or Holy Year in Rome, a kind of spiritual re-set which happens every 25 years, by opening up the bronze Holy Door at St Peter’s Basilica on Christmas Eve. In between Jubilees, it’s bricked up. This means one thing: Rome is going to be overrun with pilgrims for the year. Some of them will be hoping for a plenary indulgence (technically, the remission of the punishment owed to sin that you’ve repented of) for the Jubilee, which involves going to one of the four major basilicas, or another designated site, and saying prayers or going to confession. But of course there’s nothing to stop anyone else from following the Jubilee itineraries – there’s a website devoted to the Jubilee, which is worth a look.
It’s a custom that began in 1300, with Pope Boniface VII, though back then, the Holy Year was every century, not every 25 years; there’s been inflation. And in preparation for the event, Rome has been sprucing itself up; lots of monuments have been cleaned and restored. It’s a happening time to be in the city; there are lots of cultural events for the Jubilee. The sheer volume of visitors to the city will obviously increase on top of the present, extraordinary post-Covid influx, but the city is attempting to ensure that the visitors won’t be exploited; there will be, for instance, caps on some of the most popular pasta dishes in city restaurants. There’ll be lots going on. If you can bear the crowds, it’ll be a memorable time to visit.
So, where to stay in the run-up to Christmas and beyond? I visited two hotels in the centre of the historic city but not too close to the Vatican and on the other side of the Tiber – 30 and 45 minutes respectively walking distance from St Peter’s.
The Palazzo Ripetta (rooms from Euro 550 based on two people sharing, palazzoripetta.com) is in a charming little street just off the Piazza del Populo, which is as pretty as can be at this time of year: all lights and decorations. You’ll notice the hotel in the run-up to Christmas from the huge teddy bears outside the entrance (and indoors) which are catnip for passers-by wanting pictures. It’s an independent hotel, which combines an historic building with striking contemporary design. It was a convent where nuns gave a home and vocational training to poor or orphan girls from the seventeenth century right up to 1965; the chapel, now deconsecrated, with its pretty painted ceiling is used for concerts and charity events. There’s a lady, now 89, living nearby, who was one of those convent girls, and visits every year.
The present owner is the nephew of the man who bought the convent and made it an hotel. The public sitting room is all Art Deco curves and lovely wooden panels. Much of the reworking of the hotel was done by Luigi Moretti in the 1960s, and the inimitable lightness of touch is felt as much as seen, especially in the serene curves on the back staircases and arches. The hotel is peppered with contemporary sculpture; it hosts contemporary art exhibitions and you can see the results of the collaborations. The 78 rooms and suites have had a further reworking more recently. They’re restful, comfortable spaces, with understated luxury.
The staff are kindly, helpful and knowledgeable. The bar is lively and is presided over by a former economist called Diana who is a genius cocktail maker (there’s a dash of Cynara in her Negroni) but if you want a simple grappa, she’ll guide you through the options.
The restaurant, the San Baylon (after the patron saint of pastry chefs and zabaglione), is superb, with an imaginative wine list. The menu is local in ingredients but with deft contemporary touches. The appetiser is a savoury take on zabaglione, creamy with pecorino cheese; at the end there’s a sweet version, served cold. In between there are imaginative and satisfying dishes; I had a deeply savoury medley of mushrooms in cream and more mushrooms for pudding…meringue ones sitting on a bed of crumble served over a hazelnut praline base to resemble the name, Undergrowth. The breakfast buffet is terrific and substantial. This is a lovely hotel.
For unabashed, high-living look for the grand Hotel Eden (rooms from Euro 790 per night, dorchestercollection.com), which acquired recent fame from being one of the locations for series 4 of Emily in Paris. It’s situated right next to the Medici Gardens and a stroll away from the Villa Borghese with its wonderful art collection; in the other direction there’s the Spanish Steps and the shops on the Via Condotti. It belongs to the Dorchester Collection, a group that includes the Dorchester in Park Lane, owned by the Sultan of Brunei, so think refined Roman luxury; this has been a destination hotel since 1887.
It looks impressive from the start: inside there are marble floors, gilded ceilings, a library bar with opulent silk seats, and heavy blooms. You could spend an evening here in style, people-watching and drinking cocktails.
The terrace restaurant on the top floor has one of the best views of the city. Breakfast is something else when your eyeline in one direction takes in St Peter’s, in another, the Pantheon. Breakfast is presided over by a charming maitre d’hotel, Franceso, who will show you all the sights. I was glad to find small children toddling around under the benign supervision of the waiters. At dinner, you look out onto Rome by night; this would be the place to see the sun go down. The menu at the terrace is pricey, but it includes a more modestly priced pizza option.
The rooms are spacious and airy, with the most enormous bed I’ve ever been in. The décor is understatedly luxurious with mildly abstract artwork. As for the staff, they are friendly and expert. This is La Dolce Vita, with knobs on.
However if you’re in Rome as a pilgrim, you may want a different experience, in which case consider a monastery or convent. There are several in Rome which take guests, but bear in mind the character of the place: no minibar, no room service, you can’t come rolling back at all hours and you’ll probably have a crucifix on the wall. Try monasteries.com and monasterystays.com, where you can book rooms online, but in many cases you can also book directly with the institution. One of my favourites is the Brigettine nuns who have distinctive hot cross bun style crowns on their veils. The convent on the Piazza Farnese is in easy reach of the Vatican (casabrigidaroma.it). You’ll need to turn up at the time arranged to be let in.
