It works!
My wife, Kerry, and I each tossed a coin over our left shoulder into the famed Trevi Fountain in Rome when we were there in 2014.
Myth has it, if you do so, you are guaranteed to return to The Eternal City to huck yet another coin into the water of the ornate Trevi.
Be it magic, fate, self-fulfilling prophecy or simply savvy travel planning, we’re back in Rome, edition September 2023, fighting the crowds at the Trevi to throw another coin in the fountain.
We're joined by throngs of other tourists at the fountain jostling for position for the perfect coin toss and photo for an enviable Instagram post.
Like us they want to ensure another foray to Rome before this one is even over.
Our Trevi luck means this time we arrive in Rome after an 11-day Holland America cruise aboard the Nieuw Statendam, which started in Copenhagen and also included exciting stops in Dover, Porto, Lisbon, Cadiz and Barcelona.
Our Trevi good fortune also means we’ll have some post-cruise luxury at the Hotel de la Ville – the No. 1 hotel in Rome, according to the 2023 US News & World Report.
While our stay is only one night, we immediately know why the five-star Hotel de la Ville is so lauded.
First of all, there’s the location – a seven-storey, 18th century palazzo atop the famed Spanish Steps on the stylish Via Sistina.
When we roll up in a taxi, doorman Massimo strides over to open the door, tips his hat and says: “Welcome to the Hotel de la Ville.”
Room 402, our junior suite on the fourth floor is sumptuous, Italian chic at its best.
It’s historic and modern, all at the same time, with new and antique furnishings, plush carpet, clean hardwood and sleek marble.
The hotel and its rooms are inspired by The Grand Tour, the 18th and 19th century extended travels of the rich and famous to experience the wonders of the European continent while staying at only the best hotels.
It’s the perfect place to get a blissful night’s sleep and fortify ourselves with breakfast at the hotel’s courtyard Mosaico restaurant before wandering Rome’s narrow, atmospheric and ancient cobblestone streets and grand shopping avenues.
We swing by Rome’s greatest hits – the aforementioned Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps as well as the Coliseum, the Roman Forum, the Pantheon and The Vatican.
Lunchtime nourishment is taken in the form of carbonara pasta (Rome’s specialty) and Pinot Grigio at Histaria i Fratellini near the Piazza Navona.
Ideal timing puts us back at the Hotel de la Ville in time for happy hour of Aperol Spritz and Franciacorta Rose Prosecco on the hotel’s rooftop Cielo Terrace Bar.
We gaze over Rome’s multitude of monuments to the orange-popsicle sunset.
Hotel de la Ville is part of Rocco Forte Hotels, the London, England-based group of 14 luxury properties that includes the five-star Hotel de Russie, also in Rome, as well as Hotel Savoy in Florence, resorts in Sicily and Puglia, Brown's Hotel in London, The Balmoral in Edinburgh, The Charles in Munich, Hotel Astoria in St. Petersburg and Hotel Amigo in Brussels.
Rocco Forte is also a man, an English 'Sir', in fact, who is the chairman of the company.
His daughter, Irene Forte, is the company's wellness advisor and lends her name to the signature spas at the hotels and resorts and the skincare products used in the spas and as bathroom amenities in every hotel and resort room and suite.
Of course, the type of luxury, pampering, intuitive service and location the Hotel de la Ville offers does not come cheap.
Room rates start at 1,100 euros a night, which translates to $1,592 Canadian.
We always fly Air Canada when we cruise for its convenient multi-city booking.
In this case, it was into Copenhagen and out of Rome.
Check out RoccoForteHotels.com, AirCanada.com and HollandAmerica.com.
