La Posta Vecchia Hotel

Rome

Every year, several million visitors come to Rome. As one of the leading cities of the ancient world, Rome dominated the Mediterranean region for almost a thousand years. This veritable open-air museum contains 28 centuries of history. The city contains a variety of remains from many different eras. The Coliseum, the Pantheon, Saint Peter’s basilica, the San Angelo castle, the Villa Medici the Villa Borghese and the Trevi fountain bear witness to a rich and tumultuous history. With its 400 churches, 300 fountains and innumerable palaces, timeless and eternal Rome is a hyphen between the past and the present. Lively and animated, Rome is in the heart of the Latium region, about 30 kilometers from the Tyrrhenian Sea.

The area around Rome is in the image of the city, filled with historic remains. The necropolises of Tarquinia and Cerveteri on the Mediterranean coast, invokes the history of the mysterious Etruscan people. Near Ostia, we find Ostia Antica, which although filled with sediment, was the ancient port of Rome and a popular place today, with the youth of Rome, especially in summer, thanks to its large sand beaches. It’s the ideal spot for visitors who feel the need to leave the Eternal city for a few days.

A palace dedicated to romanticism

On the shore of the Tyrrhenian Sea, in a 17^th century villa, we find La Posta Vecchia, dedicated to romanticism. Surrounded by a six hectare park, this immense residence with ocher walls was the former home of the American billionaire, John Paul Getty. When the descendants of Prince Odescalchi purchased it in 1960, it was in pitiful condition. During the restoration, the foundations of two ancient Roman villas with magnificent mosaics were discovered on the basement level. John Paul Getty had turned the interiors into a luxurious and refined country home with a great many works of art.

Today, La Posta Vecchia is exactly what the billionaire wanted it to be, a temple of art. The bathrooms are made with Carrare marble, the furniture is Renaissance, the chandeliers Venetian and the tapestries from the Gobelins. The immense rooms are decorated with multi-colored marble and sculptures. The floors are “majolica”, a richly decorated earthenware technique, which the Italians mastered as early as the 15^th century.

In this vacation resort out of another century, surrounded by a sumptuous garden, guests can take their meals on the terrace, facing the intense blue of the sea. The villa uses its own homegrown fruits and vegetables, which the starred Chef transforms with great talent into an innovative and refined Italian cuisine.

The basement contains the archaeological ruins of an ancient villa, which has been turned into a museum.