Here’s a fact that surprises most people booking a mid-range hotel in Rome: The First Roma Arte is the only hotel in the entire city with an in-house restaurant holding two Michelin stars. That’s Acquolina, tucked into the ground floor of a design-forward boutique hotel a two-minute walk from Piazza del Popolo — and it’s a big part of why this is our mid-range pick in the Rome hotel comparison. Here’s everything worth knowing before you book, from the rooms to what’s genuinely walkable from the front door.
📢 Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains an affiliate link to Booking.com. If you book through our link, The Wandering Adventurer earns a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting independent travel content!
🗓 Quick Facts: The First Roma Arte
| Category | Mid-Range (5-star boutique) |
| Neighborhood | Via del Vantaggio, near Piazza del Popolo |
| Signature restaurant | Acquolina — 2 Michelin stars, chef Daniele Lippi |
| Rooftop dining | Acquaroof Terrazza Molinari — seafood bistro & cocktail bar |
| On-site art | 200+ contemporary artworks throughout the hotel |
| Spanish Steps | About an 8-minute walk |
| Nearest metro | Flaminio, about a 5-minute walk |
🎟️ Check Prices for The First Roma Arte on Booking.com
🏨 The Rooms & Suites
Every room at The First Roma Arte is individually decorated and doubles as a small gallery space — the hotel houses over 200 contemporary works of art across its guest rooms and public areas, which is genuinely unusual for a property in this price tier. Standard rooms come with 24-hour room service, premium bedding, air conditioning, bathrobes, iPod docks, and free toiletries, with a coffee/tea machine in the higher room categories.
The suites are where this hotel really shows off: the Spa Suite and Spa Suite View each have a private terrace with its own outdoor jacuzzi and panoramic views over Rome’s rooftops — a genuinely rare feature at this price point anywhere in the city. The top-tier First Suite spans over 1,075 square feet across one bedroom and two separate sitting areas. Suite bookings also come with a $100 hotel credit and, for the top suite categories, a complimentary one-way airport transfer for two.
💡 Insider Tip: If a private jacuzzi terrace is the draw, book directly into a Spa Suite or Spa Suite View — standard rooms don’t have one, and the terrace suites sell out well ahead of peak season.
🎟️ Check Room Availability on Booking.com
🍽️ Dining: Acquolina & Acquaroof
Acquolina, on the ground floor, first earned a Michelin star back in 2009 and was elevated to two stars in the 2023 guide — making it, as of this writing, the only 2-Michelin-star restaurant housed inside a hotel in Rome. Chef Daniele Lippi builds his menu almost entirely around Mediterranean seafood, served across three tasting menus: the 6-course Ab Origine, the 7-course Periplo, and the 9-course Anabasi-Catabasi, which adds meat into the mix. Tasting menus run roughly €120–170, with an à la carte option also available. The room itself is deliberately understated — blue-toned, modern, art-filled — so the plates do the talking.
Six floors up, Acquaroof Terrazza Molinari is the more relaxed sibling: a rooftop seafood bistro and cocktail bar with sweeping views over Rome, open from breakfast through late-night drinks. It’s the kind of rooftop that’s genuinely worth visiting even if you’re not staying at the hotel, and it takes the pressure off booking Acquolina for every meal — you can do a tasting menu one night and a casual rooftop dinner the next without leaving the building.
💡 Insider Tip: Acquolina is a genuine culinary destination in its own right, not just a hotel amenity — book the tasting menu weeks ahead if your dates are fixed, since tables fill up with Rome locals as well as hotel guests.
✨ Other Amenities
Beyond the two restaurants, the hotel has a fitness center, a library with a genuinely cozy reading corner, a Lounge Bar for cocktails away from the rooftop crowd, dry cleaning and laundry service, and 24-hour personal assistance. It’s pet-friendly, offers babysitting for a surcharge, and can arrange guided excursions — Vespa tours, Vatican tours, and food and wine tastings among them — directly through the front desk. Limo and town car service is also available for airport transfers or a night out.
🗺️ The Neighborhood: Piazza del Popolo
The hotel sits on Via del Vantaggio, tucked down a quiet side street just off Piazza del Popolo — one of Rome’s grandest squares, anchored by an Egyptian obelisk and twin domed churches, and the traditional starting point of The Trident, the three streets (Via del Corso, Via del Babuino, Via di Ripetta) that fan out toward the Spanish Steps. From here it’s about an 8-minute walk to the Spanish Steps and Piazza di Spagna, and the high-end shopping on Via Condotti is roughly 550 meters away. Climb the Pincio steps from the square and you’re in Villa Borghese within minutes, with sweeping views back over the piazza from the top.
For art beyond the hotel’s own collection, the Ara Pacis Museum — Richard Meier’s glass-walled home for Augustus’s Altar of Peace — is a two-minute walk away, and Caravaggio paintings hang in the Santa Maria del Popolo church right on the piazza itself. For food nearby, Via Margutta — Rome’s historic artists’ street and a filming location for Roman Holiday — is a short walk away and home to Babette, a well-loved lunch spot with a generous buffet, plus several vegetarian and vegan-friendly restaurants. On the piazza itself, Canova and Rosati are the classic people-watching cafés for a coffee or aperitivo with the obelisk in view, and Dal Bolognese is the go-to for a proper sit-down Italian dinner in the same spot.
💡 Insider Tip: Piazza del Popolo sits a bit north of Rome’s ancient core — it’s a fantastic base for the Spanish Steps, Villa Borghese, and Via Margutta, but budget a taxi, bus, or roughly 30-minute walk to reach the Colosseum or Vatican.
✅ Who It’s Best For
- Foodies who want serious Michelin-level dining without the luxury-hotel price tag attached to it elsewhere in Rome
- Art lovers, given the hotel’s own 200-plus-piece collection and its proximity to the Ara Pacis Museum
- Couples wanting a private jacuzzi terrace at a fraction of what that costs at Rome’s five-star grand hotels
- Travelers who want to be based near the Spanish Steps and Villa Borghese without paying Via Veneto prices
❓ The First Roma Arte FAQ
Does The First Roma Arte really have a 2-Michelin-star restaurant?
Yes — Acquolina, on the hotel’s ground floor, holds two Michelin stars as of the 2023 guide (first awarded one star in 2009), making it the only 2-star restaurant housed in a Rome hotel.
How far is the hotel from the Spanish Steps?
About an 8-minute walk, with the Via Condotti shopping district roughly 550 meters from the property.
Does every room have a private jacuzzi?
No — only the Spa Suite and Spa Suite View categories include a private terrace with an outdoor jacuzzi. Standard rooms do not have one.
Is The First Roma Arte within walking distance of the Colosseum?
Not comfortably — budget around 30 minutes on foot or a short taxi or bus ride, since Piazza del Popolo sits north of Rome’s ancient core.
Is the hotel pet-friendly?
Yes, The First Roma Arte welcomes pets.
🎟️ Check Prices for The First Roma Arte on Booking.com
Plan the Rest of Your Rome Trip
Comparing The First Roma Arte against Rome’s other top picks? Here’s everything else you need.
This post contains an affiliate link to Booking.com. The Wandering Adventurer may earn a small commission if you book through our link, at no extra cost to you.
Leave a Reply