Near Rome Termini Station, Hotel Mediterraneo evokes a time capsule. Designed in 1938, under the fascist regime, in anticipation of a universal exhibition that was never held due to the war, it is decorated with period furniture and retains an appearance similar to what it had on the day of its inauguration. The same goes for the 242 rooms frozen in time. The entire establishment is classified, under the control of the Ministry of Cultural Assets, as part of the architectural heritage of the rationalist school, which was developed in the capital in the 1920s and 1930s.
The marquetry on the walls of the lobby shine alongside the polychrome marbles that copy busts of great men of Antiquity. Marble is still found on the steps of the grand staircase and on the floors of the elevators that take hotel guests and visitors for a few hours to the top-floor bar and its terrace overlooking the rooftops of Rome.
It is possible to stay in Rome without spending a lot of money. In the cosmopolitan area of Rome’s Termini station, Generator, an establishment halfway between a youth hostel and a boutique hotel, offers basic but comfortable – and tastefully decorated – rooms with their own bathroom; but also accommodation in cozy shared rooms, some of which are separated by sex and are intended for young women travelers. The rooftop terrace with city views has nothing to envy of high-end hotels! You can have drinks there in the evening. Here, the majority of the clientele is under 30 years old; The cafeteria and lounge bar, with their large wicker armchairs, invite you to late aperitifs and international meetings.
At the Locarno Hotel, old things never go out of style. This five-star establishment opened in 1925 has preserved, through its restoration carried out eighty years later, the atmosphere of its golden age, evoking the world of the great travelers of yesteryear. According to Damiano Scaringi, one of its managers, we find “kind ghosts” like that of the filmmaker Federico Fellini (1920-1993), a regular here. More recently, director Wes Anderson stayed and worked there, no doubt finding in the decor the aroma of sweet nostalgia that permeates his films.
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