Orient Express Plants Its Flag in the Eternal City With a Palatial Hotel
October 27, 2025- Orient Express La Minerva Hotel, Rome
Orient Express, a name synonymous with the golden age of rail travel, steps confidently into its most ambitious Roman chapter yet with its flagship hotel, Orient Express La Minerva. Inside the storied Palazzo Fonseca, the brand transforms its legend of the rails into four Signature Suites. This unveiling deepens the narrative of a place that, from the moment it opened, was destined to become a landmark, woven into a piazza that has held its secrets for centuries.
Here, a Bernini elephant obelisk has stood guard. The Pantheon has cast its long shadow, and the goddess of wisdom, for whom the square is named, has watched over the comings and goings of Rome’s great and good. Now, she has a new charge: the first permanent address for the most legendary name in travel, Orient Express.
Orient Express La Minerva, which welcomed its first guests in April 2025, is the brand’s ambitious translation of its rail-bound mystique into a fixed abode. Here, the brand builds its world, weaving the romance of the journey into the very fabric of the 17th-century palazzo.
Hugo Toro Sets the Stage
To cross the threshold is to enter a stage set by artist and architect Hugo Toro. The lobby, crowned by a glass and iron skylight, is anchored by the original statue of the goddess Minerva and sculpted by Rinaldo Rinaldi. This space confidently declares its intention to merge patrimony with contemporary artistry. The narrative unfolds immediately: this is a place of curated discovery, a cabinet of curiosities on a grand scale.
That narrative finds its fullest expression in the Hotel’s four Signature Suites. A chapter dedicated to a different facet of Roman and brand history. They are named for the writer Stendhal, the Obelisk, the goddess Minerva, and the train itself, representing the core of the La Minerva proposition.
The Suites as Sanctuary
The Stendhal Suite is an intimate vault of art, its ceilings a canopy of restored frescoes that draw the eye upward, framing views of the Pantheon. It is a study in balanced grandeur.
Rising to the top floor, the La Minerva Suite channels its namesake’s wisdom into a spacious, airy retreat. With a private kitchen and dining area, it embodies the ease of a Roman apartment.
For those who see life as a stage, the Obelisco Suite delivers a masterclass in drama. A custom-carved travertine fireplace, depicting dancing nymphs, serves as the sculptural heart of the room. A sweeping, curved bar of glossy wood transforms into a media cabinet, a feat of dual-purpose design. The view presents Bernini’s elephant obelisk in a perfect, private tableau.
At the apex, the Orient Express Suite is a direct homage to the rolling salon that started it all. A monumental, custom-built sofa integrates a library and a hidden reading bench, creating a scene of theatrical flair.
A Tapestry Woven with Detail
Toro’s vision is in the minutiae. Bedside tables evoke vintage travel trunks; hand-painted headboards capture the specific pink of a Roman twilight. This cohesive design language extends to a collection of commissioned contemporary art. Alexander Onimus’s photographic chronicle of the restoration and Studio Ulgador’s luminous gold glassworks ensure the hotel feels like a living, breathing gallery.
Above it all, the rooftop restaurant Gigi Rigolatto reclaims one of the city’s most iconic terraces. With a 360-degree view of the Eternal City, this is a destination in its own right. This is a place to dine under the same skies that have inspired centuries.
A dedicated Guest Experience team orchestrates every detail. These include private Mercedes S-Class transfers and in-suite amenities such as an Honor Bar and a personalized 60-minute spa treatment for two.
Orient Express La Minerva
📍 Piazza della Minerva, 69. 00186 Rome, Italy
📞 +39 06 99 74 81 81
📧 laminerva@orient-express.com
🌐 laminerva.orient-express.com.
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