A Roman Holiday by Vespa sidecar – a whole new Rome
As the world’s most beloved scooter turns 80, a former convent in the heart of Rome offers the perfect base for doing the Eternal City properly: by sidecar.
The stay in Rome’s Palazzo Ripetta
Palazzo Ripetta sits on one of Rome’s most storied streets, just minutes from the Spanish Steps in the Tridente district, a former haunt of artists and ateliers turned upscale shopping strip. The hotel started life as a convent, commissioned by Pope Innocent XI over 350 years ago to shelter and educate young women; it opened as a hotel in 1990, after architect Luigi Moretti gave the building its modernist curves. A more recent renovation by Fausta Gaetani – also behind Torre Sponda in Positano – elevated its super-sized 78 rooms and suites to luxury status, layering bold colour and Murano glass over Moretti’s sculptural bones, with an antique and contemporary art collection running across the property, including a bronze Pomodoro sphere in reception.
Wining and dining in Rome’s restaurants
Rome’s best food is built around simplicity (for instance cacio e pepe, a proper carbonara made with guanciale) and San Baylon (also open to non-guests) is no exception. Chef Christian Spalvieri’s tomato risotto is so deeply rich and filling I wished I’d asked for a little spoon, if only to convince myself to slow down. The hotel runs its own in-house bakery, and pastries and cakes arrive warm, best eaten in the courtyard beside the third-century Roman sarcophagus turned fountain.
The Vespa sidecar ride through Rome
The Vespa was Corradino D’Ascanio’s solution for a postwar Italy in need of affordable transport. Vespa means wasp in Italian, and the resemblance is there: the pinched middle, the flick of the tail. It’s an emblem of freedom and flirtation, with over 20m sold to date. Our sidecar tour came courtesy of Luca, a guide so delighted by the wonders of his home city that he’ll have that effect on you too. Settle into the open-air sidecar while a professional threads you through the city, a wireless headset delivering Luca’s expert commentary over the buzz of the engine. You can also ride pillion, which adds an extra thrill.
We set off late afternoon, when the golden light hits hardest and throngs of tourists begin to retreat, pausing for the headline attractions – the Colosseum, Pantheon, Vatican. But unless you’re a first-timer, the greater joy may be weaving the narrow streets, through palazzi and baroque fountains, drawing grins and pointed fingers. Even hardened Romans aren’t desensitised to the camp delight of it all.
Forget Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday; this was a live-action Mario Kart, Princess Peach bobbing at the back of a pastel convoy. Luca had rightly hyped up our final stop, Fatamorgana, a gelateria that serves additive-free gelato in curious flavours. I went with hazelnut and sage flower, and “Kentucky” chocolate, made with tobacco. Another day in Rome and I would have trekked back to try the rest of the menu, which includes basil, walnut, honey, and pear with gorgonzola.
What if I need pyjamas?
Schostal Italian Pyjamas has outlasted two world wars and Mussolini’s racial laws, the latter thanks to owner Giorgio Bloch, who convinced officials that “Schostal” was a Hungarian trading acronym, not a Jewish name. The walls of this candy-striped pyjama house, now in its fourth generation, carry evidence of many famous admirers including Anne Hathaway, Wes Anderson, Bruce Springsteen, and Harry Styles. But the real star is Charlie, the owner’s chihuahua, who sits in the window, tongue poking out, blissfully unaware he’s Rome’s most photographed dog.
• Rates at Palazzo Ripetta start from £630 for bed and breakfast for two. Visit palazzoripetta.com
To book the Vespa Sidecar Tour visitvespasidecartour.com