Nerva Boutique Hotel’s closest neighbour is the Forum of Augustus; despite its city-central postcode, the hotel is quiet and peaceful, tucked away down a little side street.
Planes
Rome’s main international hub, Fiumicino Airport, is 40 kilometres away (an hour’s drive). Hotel transfers are €60 one way (up to two passengers) or €70 (up to four). There’s also Ciampino Airport, 25 kilometres from the hotel. EasyJet offers direct flights to Fiumicino (Alitalia also runs a regular service), and Ryanair flies direct to Ciampino from a wide range of European cities.
Trains
Trains from Florence, Milan, Naples, Venice, Turin and Bari pull into Termini station, a 10-minute drive from Nerva (www.romatermini.com).
Automobiles
You can easily pick up a hire car at either airport; daily parking at the closest car park (Via S.Agata dei Goti) costs €40 daily. Or, the car park at 35 Via Napoli, about a kilometre away by foot, costs €25 a day. There’s also street parking on Via Cavour (€12 daily) and if you get lucky, free parking on the white lines. From Rome, follow the Roma Est exit, then take the Tangenziale Est exit (East Beltway) towards San Giovanni. Take the exit for San Giovanni and follow the signs to Roma Centro/Colosseo. Don’t forget to let staff know your arrival in advance – there’s a restricted traffic area, so they need to notify the chaps and chapesses at City Hall.
Worth getting out of bed for
Start with the Forum of Augustus, which is a minute’s walk away at Piazza del Grillo (it’s particularly dramatic illuminated at night.) The Colosseum is less than 10 minutes away on foot. Ask Nerva nicely and they’ll arrange a walking tour of the city with an expert guide. If trudging around sounds too onerous, opt for a tour in a horse-driven carriage. Explore the Monti area and its authentic cafés, bistros and restaurants. Walk to the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona and the Spanish Steps. The grandly-named Altar of the Fatherland is a 15-minute walk from the hotel at Piazza Venezia. If you need to escape the city’s buzz, go for a wander around Orto Botanico, Rome’s peaceful botanic gardens. St Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican City are a 40-minute walk from Nerva, or a 15-minute bus ride.
Local restaurants
Enjoy proper Roman pizza and exemplary pasta at La Montecarlo on Vicolo Savelli. Enoteca Ferrara at Piazza Trilussa serves typical Italian food in a typically warm environment; the wine selection is equally praiseworthy. Assunta Madre serves succulent seafood and toothsome fish in a dining room styled with exposed brick and dark, masculine hues. Per Me on Vicolo del Malpasso gets rave reviews for its swish Mediterranean cuisine; the ambitious tasting menus include ‘Sea Rhythms’ and ‘Between Earth and Sea’. See why Il Pagliaccio on Via dei Banchi Vecchi has earned itself great acclaim by opting for its 10-course tasting menu, whose dishes – courtesy of culinary maestro Anthony Genovese – pair European and Asian flavours to dazzling effect.
Local cafés
Antico Forno Roscioli’s cakes, breads and snacks aren’t cheap, but they are memorably delicious. You’ll find the upmarket patisserie on Via dei Chiavari (+39 06 686 4045). Bring us something back, would ya?
