The most beautiful terraces in Rome? You’ll find them in many of the star-studded and gourmet restaurants. Particularly in those that combine gourmet cuisine with the hospitality of the luxury or boutique hotels in which they are located. They could easily have been locations that director Paolo Sorrentino envisioned for his film The Great Beauty, just as spectacular as the wonderful terrace overlooking the Colosseum of the main character Gep Gambardella. In fact, one of these restaurants has exactly the same view.
La Pergola at the Cavalieri
For years now the divine Heinz Beck has been leading Roman cuisine with a firm hand from the heights of one of the most beautiful terraces in the capital. Three Michelin stars, countless awards, and the gratitude of many chefs who trained in his kitchens. A dinner at La Pergola is an all-round pleasure experience, from its good food to the endless attention given to the customer. The severity with which Beck directs the kitchen by personally controlling all outgoing plates is legendary. It goes without saying that this is the most expensive restaurant in Rome, where a tasting menu will cost around €300. Not to mention add-ons like a wine list with over 60,000 top labels and a water list with 29. The view, however, is included in the price and offers a panorama of the whole city. So our advice is: if once in your life you want to indulge in this luxury, do it during the warm season so you can enjoy the wonder of Rome at your feet.
Aroma
If you want the same view as Gep Gambardella, with the gladiator from the Colosseum who shakes your hand, the right place is Aroma, a restaurant inside the five-star Palazzo Manfredi hotel, offering only 15 rooms for an experience of all-round luxury. Here the chef is Giuseppe Di Iorio, originally from Calabria, trained in Rome. He was awarded a Michelin star in 2014. A tasting menu overlooking the Colosseum will cost you €150, but you’ll be won over both by the view and by the interesting cuisine based on exceptional ingredients and without excessive flourishes. If you simply want to enjoy the view while sipping an aperitivo, the staff at the lounge bar are ready to offer you a glass of champagne.
The Corner
Here the view may not be as encompassing as in other cases, but you’ll feel incredibly at ease on the terrace of this Art Nouveau style building. Marco Martini, who had already been awarded a star for his Stazione di Posta in Testaccio, has settled into The Corner’s kitchen very well, and has largely confirmed the appraisal of the Michelin Red Guide: Your check will be around €100 and we guarantee you’ll enjoy yourself.
Mirabelle at the Hotel Splendide Royal
Here you can have a luxury experience on one of the most beautiful terraces in Rome, with a view of the Umbertini palaces of the Pinciano, and the spires and cupolas of the historic center. Put yourself in the hands of chef Stefano Marzetti, one of Heinz Beck’s students mentioned above. You can enjoy the luxury of oysters and caviar, with gourmet dishes and a separate menu dedicated to spices, as well as one dedicated to children. The attention to detail and the respectable wine cellar complete the experience for which you will have to budget around €150, view included.
Achilli at the D.O.M.
Another star-studded restaurant and another magnificent rooftop hotel terrace above Rome. We are at the D.O.M., a 5-star hotel with only 18 rooms and suites, housed in an 18th-century building and all directly overlooking the famous Via Giulia. The supervision of the terrace kitchen at the top of the hotel has been entrusted to the skilled hands of Massimo Viglietti, the stellar chef of sibling restaurant Achilli Enoteca al Parlamento. Chef Alessio Tagliaferri is in the kitchen, plus there are the drinks prepared by mixologist Patrizio Boschetto, in a continuous exchange of solid and liquid cuisine. The check is usually around €100.
Poggio Le Volpi
Let’s get out of the city a bit, at the nearby Monte Porzio Catone highway exit. Just past the toll booth you come across a modern-looking winery, nestled amid the vineyards. Here you can find a restaurant that has made the most ripples in recent times, mostly because it involves a chef of unquestionable caliber, Oliver Glowig. With his two Michelin stars, Glowig has been taken on as a consultant for two restaurants, Barrique (the gourmet restaurant) and Epos (the bistro), which opened in Poggio Le Volpi. To be safe, Glowig put his right-hand man, Daniele Corona, in the kitchen, supporting him with the very promising pastry chef Andrea Riva Moscara. We will see if his gamble will be rewarded by the Red Guide at the next evaluation. Meanwhile, you can appreciate the outdoor space surrounded by greenery, in a pleasantly bucolic environment. And getting out of Rome pays if you consider that you can eat from a soon-to-be starred restaurant menu for less than €100.