On

On
a secluded part of coastline just outside of Rome, where
emperors took refuge from love and war in seaside pads, is the
manicured Etruscan paradise of La Posta Vecchia. Today the
Pellicano-owned hotel offers respite to decidedly more modern –
though perhaps no less life-weary – guests.

Built on the request of Prince Lelio Orsini in 1640, it’s La
Posta Vecchia’s recent history that most appeals. In 1960, the
property was purchased by American oil magnate J. Paul Getty – once
the richest man in the world – before being converted into a hotel
in 1990. Bed down like a billionaire and rise to ogle over
17th-century tapestries and marble busts of Roman emperors – all a
part of the collection curated by Getty with his art-historian
friend Federico Zeri. A renaissance home for a renaissance (wo)man,
interiors are as resplendent – and palatial – as they get.

Bedrooms

Minimalists should ready themselves for a baptism in the baroque
– or promptly run and hide. Comprising of a total of 19 bedrooms,
eight of which are suites, rooms at Posta Vecchia are decidedly
decadent. Gold accents, beautiful tapestries and jewel-toned
upholstery are presented at every opportunity. An aristocratic
aesthetic means canopied beds and velvet headboards, chandeliers
swinging from chestnut beams on wood ceilings and floors swathed in
rich woven carpets are commonplace. In the bathrooms, hand-painted
Italian tiles and personalised bath amenities by La Bottega
Official – all whimsically named – provide further indulgence.

What’s for breakfast?

A munificent buffet breakfast, including eggs, bacon, sausages,
cereals, breads, cold cuts, pastries and other sweet treats
(chocolate gateau at 8am on a Tuesday anyone?) is served in The
Cesar restaurant. With a particular focus placed on natural and
local produce, grab a Richard Ginori plate and do the rounds; two
sittings is best. Ask for a table on the veranda with views of the
sea, and luxuriate over a long, late breakfast.

How about lunch and dinner?

Lunch, a snack menu and dinner are also available at The Cesar.
If you’re just here for one night there are difficult choices to be
made: will you opt for the white truffle or a courgette flower is
just the first in a series of torturous rounds of this or that?
Come dinner, grab a sea-spying, candlelit table and have your taste
buds teased by sea bass and crab, followed by pink breast of
pigeon.

Get a taste for something you fancy? Culinary classes and
courses from head chef Antonio Magliulo are available on request.
Our advice: start with a two-course Italian lunch.

Is there a bar?

While there is no formal bar, La Posta Vecchia’s drawing room
mixes an excellent negroni. Nurse your poison of choice as long as
it takes for the sun to set, tasteful piano music tinkling
harmoniously in the background.

Amenities

Revel in the rays of the Roman sun, breaking for dips in the
indoor swimming pool before returning to your chaise longue and
ordering a Martini (with three olives). A little beyond the indoor
pool’s arched windows and glass doors, you’ll find the entrance to
the spa. Treatments air on the side of
holistic, following a farm-to-spa mentality – with product
ingredients sourced from the hotel’s verdant gardens. Make sure to
leave time for a caldarium steam bath pre-massage.

Those looking to up the ante can avail the personal trainer
service, though we preferred to grab a complimentary bicycle and
tour the grounds beyond the gates.

Things you should know

Rome Fiumicino Airport is a 30-minute drive away, making La
Posta Vecchia a great outgoing or incoming destination for your
Roman holiday.

Built on second-century Roman ruins, the hotel boasts a private
museum in its basement. Ogle at colourful mosaics, plates, statues
and vases that were dug up by archaeologists on site. When you’ve
had your fill of art and antiquity, there’s no shame in grabbing a
DVD from reception and clambering back into the finery of your bed.
We’re willing to bet that this is a novel experience you won’t get
back home, so enjoy it while it lasts.

Within a short walk I can find…

The beach (lapped by the Tyrrhenian Sea) is reachable by way of
cement stairs at the far end of the restaurant. The hotel’s
beautifully kept Italian gardens are also worth a ramble.