Orient Express La Minerva – the first hotel the legendary train built

Behind the Pantheon, on a square watched over by Bernini's elephant obelisk, a seventeenth-century palazzo has become the first hotel the Orient Express brand has ever built. Orient Express La Minerva occupies an entire island site on Piazza della Minerva, steps from the Pantheon, in a 17th-century palazzo built in 1620 that was formerly known as Palazzo Fonseca and has welcomed guests since 1811. Opening in 1811, it drew the young aristocrats then touring Europe on the Grand Tour, and later welcomed the writers Stendhal, George Sand and Herman Melville. Meticulously restored by award-winning artist-architect Hugo Toro, known for reawakening historical gems with contemporary finesse, the hotel blends Rome's heritage with new sophistication. The MICHELIN Guide gives it Two MICHELIN Keys. The hotel houses 93 rooms and 36 suites, each space entirely singular in scale, in layout, and in spirit. Three restaurants and a spa built around Ottoman hammam ritual now draw a steady stream of Romans as well as guests passing through on their way to the brand's new Italian train.

01The house

The palazzo was originally built in 1620 as a residence for the Portuguese Fonseca family, later becoming a hotel in the 19th century under the French Sauve family, hosting luminaries like Stendhal and even Pope Pius IX. It accommodated the 'influencers' of their day, young aristocrats conducting a Grand Tour of Europe's classical highlights, and later the writers Stendhal, George Sand and Herman Melville. Its entrance is watched over by Bernini's elephant obelisk, one of the most recognisable landmarks in Rome's historic centre.

Standing in quiet majesty, the statue of goddess Minerva watches over it all, a marble masterpiece sculpted in 1854 by Rinaldo Rinaldi, a disciple of Canova, goddess of wisdom, arts and craftsmanship. The building has now been restored to its former glory by designer Hugo Toro, who has smoothly blended original elements such as marble statues and ornate Murano chandeliers with a more contemporary Art Deco style. The hotel occupies an entire island site on Piazza della Minerva, a rare condition in central Rome.

02Rooms and suites

The hotel houses 93 rooms and 36 suites, each space entirely singular in scale, in layout, and in spirit. Rooms unfold like first-class compartments, wrapped in warm woods, richly veined marbles and impeccably tailored custom furnishings, many framing views of the Pantheon, whether its profile or its soaring dome, while others slide open onto private terraces. Each room shares the house signatures of Rosso Verona marble bathrooms and custom wood furniture, with Guerlain bath products, Dyson hair dryers and GHD styling tools in the amenity kit.

Insider tip

Bernini's Elephant and Obelisk and the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva sit right outside.

Among the headline suites, the Signature Suites — 102 Stendhal, 401 Obelisco, 601 La Minerva and 501 Orient Express — command views of the Pantheon and Piazza Santa Maria sopra Minerva, each with a personality of its own. The Stendhal Suite takes its name from the French writer who once sought refuge in the building's halls.

03Where to eat

Opening to the public in May 2025, Gigi Rigolatto brings the spirit of la dolce vita to life from dawn to dusk at every table on the Roman rooftop, a standout concept by Rikas Hospitality Group and Paris Society with 360° panoramic views of the city's rooftops and monuments, including the Pantheon, the Vittoriano and the dome of St Peter's Basilica.

Later in the hotel's first year, Mimi Kakushi arrived, an award-winning restaurant curated by Rikas Hospitality Group that transports guests to 1920s Osaka, an era of creative clash between Western modernism and traditional Japanese values, and has previously picked up a World's 50 Best Bars title for the Middle East and Africa.

04The bar

La Minerva Bar sits in the heart of the hotel's lobby, beneath its grand glass roof and the preserved statue of Minerva, complete with original marble columns that glow softly throughout the day. Guests can enjoy evening drinks here under the building's historic skylight, before heading to the rooftop restaurant and bar for Mediterranean cuisine and cocktails with a view of the Pantheon and the Roman skyline.

05Spa and wellbeing

The SPA treats wellness as a transformative journey rather than a destination, inspired by centuries of Ottoman hammam tradition and built around ceremonial purification rituals and restorative treatments.

Facials and body treatments use Furtuna Skin, formulated with olive oil and wild-foraged botanicals grown on an 800-acre regenerative farm in Sicily, while a Technogym-equipped gym and a Kinesis studio for functional training complete the wellness floor.

06The neighbourhood

Located at Piazza della Minerva 69, in the very heart of the city, the hotel lies just steps from the Pantheon and within easy walking distance of Rome's cultural treasures. The piazza itself is worth a detour for Bernini's Elephant and Obelisk, one of the sculptor's smaller and stranger Roman works. Piazza Navona is only a seven-minute walk away.

07Making the most of a stay

The experience is further enhanced by Orient Express – La Dolce Vita, a luxury train offering 2-3 day journeys across Italy, featuring refined interiors created by Dimore Studio. La Minerva serves as its natural starting point, making it easy to turn a city stay into a longer, slower Italian itinerary — exactly the kind of layered experience the Two MICHELIN Keys distinction was built to reward.

For a weekend. For a lifetime.