The Terrace at Hotel de Russie
The most beautiful aperitivo in Rome, full stop. The Stravinskij Bar opens onto the hotel's terraced Secret Garden — one of the great hotel gardens in Europe — and at golden hour the whole thing lights up like a private theater set into the hillside between Piazza del Popolo and the Pincio.
A Negroni here in January, in a coat, with the garden lit below you, is one of those Rome moments that justifies the price of the drink several times over.
The bar and garden terrace of Hotel de Russie (the Rocco Forte property between Piazza del Popolo and the Spanish Steps) — open to non-guests, serving cocktails, light food, and aperitivo throughout the day and evening.
A Negroni here in January, in a coat, with the garden lit below you, is one of those Rome moments that justifies the price of the drink several times over.
NEGRONI · CHAMPAGNE
Aperitivo hour into golden hour is the right window.
In winter the terrace is heated and far less crowded — a quiet favorite.
You're paying hotel-bar prices for a hotel-bar setting; treat it as a single, special drink, not a long session.
The garden is part of the hotel — see the Hotel de Russie page for the full property.