The First Musica

Style

Pitch-perfect crashpad

Setting

Prati side of the Tiber

In the First Musica – the third of the Pavillions hotel group’s Roman stays – past and present are in harmony. The stay is a finely tuned instrument of modern mores, repping the Italian’s just-so chic with rooms lined in luxurious woods, Loro Piana fabrics and Calacatta marble, and gilt-splattered wall paintings; a menu with notes from across the Med keeps dining vivace; and staff keep in time to your beat. But, from your vat windows and the DJ-soundtracked roof terrace the Eternal City shows off its enduring charms, and historic outings might be a private tour of the Colosseum’s underground passages, a visit to the Pope’s private chapel and some time alone with the Sistine Chapel, thus putting two different timestamps in step.

Facilities

Rooms

24, including four suites.

Checkout

Noon; earliest check-in, 3pm.

More Details

Rates are room-only, but you can buy breakfast at the hotel for €50.

Also

Nose around the lobby where there are biographies of rock stars, plus coffee-table books on music and movies to borrow, plus a grand for a pianist to play every once in a while.

Free Internet Access

Laundry

Pet Friendly

On-Site Restaurant

Room Service

At the Hotel

Charged laundry service, electric cars for hire, shoeshine service, small music-themed library and piano in the lobby, free WiFi. In rooms: 50-inch LED TV; Bang & Olufsen wireless speaker; Illy coffee machine; a sweet treat, wireless phone charger; control panel for lighting, shutters and climate control; Etro bath products; free shoeshine; free bottled water; USB socket.

Our Favourite Rooms

First Musica’s rooms vaguely resemble a deconstructed orchestra pit, barring reams of theatre-curtain-red velvet (the fabrics used are all subtly hued Loro Piana bolts, dahling), with woods as sleek as those in the string section and bold brassy parts, plus the odd wall-painting as an overture to Rome’s enormous artistic legacy. All are similar in style, with a Calacatta-marble-lined bathroom, but the ‘view’ suites are those with a vaunted vantage point overlooking the Tiber and historic centre.

Packing Tips

Shoes for cobbled eventualities are a must, even if you want to emulate the dainty, seemingly part-mountain goat, locals in heels. And line up an Italianate playlist (Pavarotti, Måneskin, some Ennio Morricone…) to get you in the mood.

Also

The hotel’s multilingual staff can help with local recommendations, bookings and even negotiating deals with art galleries if needed.

Children

Welcome. With several interconnecting configurations, baby kit and special kids’ itineraries, this is a stay where families are all in key.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

Live your best 'La Grande Bellezza' life, taking drinks on the upper terrace.

Dress Code

As if you’re opera-bound, but no need for the glasses – the view can’t be missed.

Hotel Restaurant

Greenery-bedecked restaurant Alto sits on the fifth, sixth and seventh floor of the hotel, overlooking the Tiber and historic centre. The pan-Mediterranean menu throws up some surprising flavour combinations, serving bread topped with sea urchin and almond ricotta; tortelli pasta with anchovy, mascarpone and citrus; red mullet with duck heart and tangerine; or pork with pumpkin and date.

Hotel Bar

Alto cocktail bar, with its glamorous velvet chairs, trailing greenery and green-marble counter, is on the sixth and seventh floors of the hotel, with an alfresco terrace at the top and a 300-year-old olive tree. From up here you can admire Rome’s rich tapestry of architectural wonders, from the Vatican City to the cupolas and colonnaded edifices surrounding the historic centre, and the Tiber cleaving through. There’s a DJ set every night (not till too late as this is a more residential area), and don’t miss aperitivo hour from 6pm. You might be tempted to go with a negroni (when in Rome…), but the Hugo with elderflower liqueur, prosecco and soda is a signature sipper here, and there’s a designated martini menu.

Last Orders

The bar opens from 6pm to 1am.

Room Service

In-room dining is available all day (with a limited night menu) for a €10 tray charge. The menu has omelettes, pancakes, fruit salad porridge and more for breakfast, and pizza, salads, sandwiches, burgers and more throughout the day.

Planes

Ciampino airport is closer to the hotel by 10 kilometres, but the journey from there or Fiumicino will take around 40 minutes. Hotel transfers can be arranged in a Mercedes sedan for €110 one-way or minivan (€170 for up to four) if you’re travelling in a group.

Trains

Rome’s main Termini station, at which trains arrive direct from most of Italy’s major cities, is a 15-minute drive away. Transfers can be arranged from €75 one-way.

Automobiles

If you choose to drive, there are charged public spaces at Visconti Parking, which is a three-minute walk away.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

The right bank of the Tiber, home to the Vatican City, polished residential rioni Prati, and to the south, hipster hangout Trastevere. Usually, visitors gravitate towards the left bank and historic centre, but the First Musica positions you within walking distance of Rome’s biggest draws, and shows you how it feels to call it home. You could easily walk yourself through thousands of years of history – you’re 10 minutes from the Spanish Steps and shopping arteries, vias del Corso and dei Condotti (the hotel has a personal shopper on call if needed); 15 minutes from the Pantheon and Piazza Navona; 20 minutes from the Trevi fountain; 30 minutes from Quirinal Hill and its presidential palazzo. However, the hotel’s curated itineraries mix beloved experiences with the extra special. Say, breakfast on the Belvedere Courtyard before a tour of the Vatican, then – after visitors leave – the chance to see the Pope’s private worshipping place, the Niccoline Chapel with its Fra Angelico frescoes; spiral down the grand Bramante Staircase; and then see the Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Basilica all by yourselves. Or, really dig into the foundations of the city – almost literally – on a subterranean tour of Roman catacombs, a basilica, prison and frescoes. Then, whirl through masterworks by Bernini, Caravaggio, Raphael, Titian and more in the Borghese Villa, followed by the chance to see the Colosseum’s underbelly, and rooms where gladiators and animals would be held before shows, and a tour of the Forum. Sure, the Romans were very impressive and the Colosseum is big and old, yadda yadda – what about the food? Well, staff can send you on a food tour, to cookery lessons that cover all the major Italian food groups (pizza and pasta making, meatballs, pastries and tiramisù), or on a jaunt to Said Since 1923 chocolate factory. Or, journey out to Tiburtino to explore former pasta factory, now multidisciplinary modern-art hub, Pastificio Cerere. And, cross back over the Tiber to acquaint yourself with its fascinating neighbourhoods: pause in a café along the Jewish Quarter’s Via del Portico d’Ottavi; hang in Trastevere, boutique-hopping and musing over Renaissance Villa Farnesina’s artworks; and crossing to Tiber Island, where an open-air film festival is held each summer.

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .