Orient Express La Minerva
By Albert & Nouri Beesemer — booked and paid for by us. No sponsored placements. Ever.
A 17th-century palazzo steps from the Pantheon, with a rooftop that looks directly at the dome. Designed by Aline Asmar d'Amman — the Orient Express brand's flagship Rome hotel.
- City
- Rome
- Neighborhood
- PIAZZA DELLA MINERVA
The VV Review
La Minerva is the hotel that the relaunched Orient Express chose as one of its flagship properties, and the location is the headline: a 17th-century palazzo on Piazza della Minerva, steps from the Pantheon, with a rooftop terrace that looks straight at the Pantheon's dome — one of the great hotel views in Rome. The interiors are by Aline Asmar d'Amman (the designer who worked on Karl Lagerfeld's projects), and the whole thing operates at the rarefied, theatrical end of the market.
First Impressions
A 17th-century palazzo on a quiet piazza moments from the Pantheon — grand, designed, and unmistakably an occasion hotel.
The Rooms
Aline Asmar d'Amman's design throughout — opulent, considered, dramatic. The rooms match the address.
Food & Drink
The rooftop is the event — a direct view of the Pantheon dome, which is reason enough to come up for a drink whether or not you're staying.
The Neighborhood
Piazza della Minerva, steps from the Pantheon — the absolute heart of historic Rome, walkable to everything in the center.
La Minerva pairs a Pantheon-dome rooftop with Orient Express glamour and Aline Asmar d'Amman's design. For the right occasion in the heart of Rome, the view alone makes the case.
What We Loved
The rooftop terrace looks directly at the Pantheon dome. This is an unrepeatable address advantage. The view from the terrace at sunset, with a Negroni, is one of the experiences that Rome was built for.
The terra cotta, the warm stone, the light that references Roman antiquity without quoting it directly — Del Toro made a hotel that feels specifically Roman rather than generically Mediterranean.
The first Orient Express hotel anywhere. The group's standards, applied to a 17th-century Roman palazzo. The combination earns its attention.
Steps from the Pantheon — which means both that you are at the center of Roman history and that the tourist pressure is significant. The hotel handles it, but it is a fact of the address.
Worth Knowing Before You Book
- 01The Pantheon is steps away and brings significant daytime crowds to the surrounding streets. The hotel provides a genuine retreat from this. Mornings are calmer.
- 02Book the rooftop terrace dinner in advance — it fills up and this is the singular experience the hotel offers.
- 03The area around the Pantheon has Rome's most flagrant tourist restaurants. The hotel team knows where locals eat. Use them.
- 04The rooms are impressive. The standard rooms are well-proportioned; the suites are extraordinary.