No better way for us to celebrate Marianne’s birthday in Rome, than by taking in the gorgeous views from rooftops. It felt like we were on a scavenger hunt to find these prime locations, but we persevered and found some amazing views.

Swiss Institute

Every time we visit Rome, we walk by this gated historic villa right across from our hotel. To our surprise, the gate was opened for visitors. This villa now known as the Swiss Institute stands on a hill surrounded by splendid gardens. It’s the cities second highest point. We throughly enjoyed our time looking at the maintained gardens, trees and of course the first of our many perfect views of this wonderful city.

It was time to move on to find a special rooftop at the top of the Spanish Steps. It was easier said than done. Our Google map was no help. We knew we were at the right location, but could not figure out what building we were suppose to go in. We went into one hotel and they had never heard of the Cielo Rooftop. Funny though, it was in the hotel next door.

Cielo Terrace

Perched high above the Eternal City, Cielo is known as one of the most glamorous rooftop bars, offering the most extraordinary sunset experiences and views in Rome. We did not realize that we needed a reservation or we needed to be staying at that hotel for a table. The hostess was very nice to us. She said she could sit us at an undesirable table directly in the sun not suited for their hotel guests. We were elated! The direct sun wasn’t going to hinder our good time.

We enjoyed basking in the sun and taking in the beautiful view. Well worth having sun on our faces.

Trevi Fountain

We made a stop at the Trevi Fountain to throw a coin in and make a wish. The right way to throw a coin is to toss with your right hand over your left shoulder, with your back to the Fountain.

Next stop was lunch!

Pane e Salome

Marianne had visited this hidden gem of a restaurant before. It is a tucked away modern bistro known for platters of meats and cheeses, paired with Italian wine and beers.

Lovely little place. The board of meats and cheeses were delicious.

Giro d’Italia 2024

As we continued our walk through Rome, we came across the bike riders of the Giro d’Italia (Tour of Italy) riding through Rome. It was very exciting to see how fast they flew by us. Three weeks of intense racing around Italy then coming to a close with a circuit around Rome.

Marianne and I continued on to our next rooftop.

The Raphael Hotel

The Hotel Raphael is a beautiful boutique hotel that has a rooftop terrace that offers amazing panoramic views of Rome. The hotel is in a wonderful setting beside the Piazza Navona but a world away from tourist mayhem.

We walked into this charming hotel and asked the concierge if we could go to the rooftop terrace. Again, we were nicely asked if we had a reservation and we sadly said no. She called the terrace and explained the situation and the terrace staff said we could come up. The concierge walked us to the elevator.

We were so excited to see what lies ahead. We were greeted by the hostess when we got off the elevator. The hostess said she had a table for us, but we could only stay 1 hour. The table was already reserved for other guests. One hour was perfect for us jet-setters.

I felt like we hit the lottery being able to partake in seeing Rome from this stunning terrace. The staff was very friendly and we had some watchful residents that didn’t miss any move Marianne and I made.

This darling caretaker of the terrace swooped up and grabbed Marianne’s unattended hors-d’oeuvre off her plate.

We quickly clued in on why the silver cover was on all the food, excluding the chips. Our special guests do not like chips.

Our fabulous hour was up! It was such a memorable and fun experience.

Hotel Savoy

One last rooftop to relish the incredible view. We took in the view from the rooftop terrace at the hotel we were staying at.

What a day we had seeing Rome from above. It was a fabulous way to enjoy the views and soak in Rome’s history and beauty. It sure was a great way to celebrate Marianne’s birthday.

Happy Birthday Marianne!