Rome is where you go to recharge in ancient thermae, which was why I lay encased in salt-pan Mediterranean mud from head to toe.
Having been slathered, rubbed and scrubbed in olive oil, laurel, lavender, honey and sea salt, I was midway through the two-hour Diocletian Bath ritual at the Anantara Palazzo Naiadi Rome Hotel. The signature treatment is designed to re-create the daily life of ancient Romans who spent entire days socializing in the Baths of Diocletian, the ruins of which are still visible beneath the hotel's glass floor.
Built by the emperor Maximian between 298 and 306 as a gift to his co-emperor, Diocletian, the labyrinthine thermae encompassed 32 acres with a 3,000-person capacity. For more than 200 years, Romans frequented the baths, which was so vast a complex that it included the ancient equivalents of an art gallery, gymnasium, library, restaurant and spa. In the 16th century, Michelangelo designed an entire basilica built within the ruins. Not only was I encased in mud, but I was layered in Roman history.
Earlier that afternoon, I'd walked to the hotel, which is visible from Termini station. Situated on the Piazza della Repubblica in a 19th-century, neoclassical, porticoed palazzo, Anantara Palazzo Naiadi offers an environment as imperial as the baths atop which it is built.
Upon arrival in the marble lobby, I was greeted by my butler, Marta, one of the few female butlers in a male-dominated profession. Marta escorted me to my duplex suite and opened the drapes to reveal the panoramic view overlooking the piazza's fountain and Michelangelo's basilica.
Once I was no longer wrapped in mud and my muscles massaged, I returned to my suite, where my blazer awaited freshly pressed -- with the gift of a silk pocket square accompanied by a note from Marta. Sipping a martini as I dressed for dinner, it was easy to understand why Sophia Loren claims this hotel as her favorite -- and why the hotel has rechristened its Presidential Suite in her honor.
The hotel's Ineo restaurant features a tasting menu and an award-winning bread trolley. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Anantara Hotels & Resorts
Eating like a Roman
When in Rome, my motto is "Eat like the Romans, and eat it all" -- something I repeated often.
Tucked beneath the palazzo arches, the hotel's 28-seat restaurant, Ineo, is a secluded jewel box of marble and mirrors. With porcelain by Limoges and silver by Christofle, the dining room is staffed by a corps of white-gloved professionals.
One of the highlights of the seven-course tasting menu is Ineo's bread trolley, a veritable bakery on wheels laden with artisanal baked goods, all served with Normandy butter and Lazio olive oil. A meal in itself -- and yet it would be folly not to indulge in executive chef Heros de Agostinis' "Italian metissage," a culinary odyssey shaped by the chef's global travels.
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In April, the hotel will host the Anantara Concorso Roma, a three-day celebration of Italian automotive craftsmanship. "Rome is enjoying a renaissance, making it the perfect moment for Anantara to shift the gears and launch a prestigious concours event for the capital," said William Heinecke, founder and chairman of Minor International, Anantara's parent company.
The Anantara Concorso Roma will feature more than 50 classic automobiles from Italian automakers Alfa Romeo, Bugatti, Ferrari, Lancia, Lamborghini and Maserati. Hotel guests can book VIP tickets as well as exclusive packages.