Entering Orient Express La Minerva feels like walking into the private residence of a discerning and well-travelled aesthete. At the hands of artist-architect Hugo Toro, a palazzo built in 1620 has become a refined sanctuary, each room a curated cabinet of curiosities gathered from distant journeys. It’s a place where Roman grandeur meets worldly allusions in a celebration of the building’s past.

Daylight cascades through the glass and iron conservatory ceiling of La Minerva Bar, illuminating marble columns and lush greenery arranged to form living screens. Beneath your feet, custom carpeting embellished with swirling patterns that echo the Pantheon’s dome guides you toward inviting sofas, whose curves recall the sumptuous lounges of vintage Orient Express cars. A sense of heritage permeates the property, with whispers of elegance wherever the eye falls. Hand-blown glass orbs and crystal-edged sconces refract light like treasured gems, while in the rooms, hand-painted skies above each headboard capture the Eternal City’s pastel dusk.

Walls, washed in warm earth tones, recount layers of history, decked with original frescoes restored to their original glory and contemporary artworks by the city’s emerging talents. Leather-tasselled chests, discreetly placed in corners, resemble those that once carried silk dresses from Istanbul to Paris, hinting at the hotel’s rail heritage. In the suites, the oak floors display a gentle patina, and dressing tables crafted from Rosso Verona marble evoke the ritual of ancient Roman baths.

Drapes frame the windows in a subtle blue tone that mirrors the shutters of neighbouring buildings, blurring the line between the interiors and the buzzing capital beyond. Handcrafted walnut and mahogany bar trunks and chaise longues with hand-woven leather panels pay tribute to the legacy of the Orient Express, yet feel utterly at home in this contemporary re-envisioning.

Throughout the hotel, Hugo Toro’s signature is a constant presence, artfully balancing meticulous craftsmanship with an effortless feel. Whether you’re dining at the rooftop restaurant, examining a vintage objet d’art tucked into a niche, or stepping onto a private terrace to gaze over Rome’s terracotta roofs, each scene feels bathed in the quiet sophistication of a collector’s abode. Here, decor becomes narrative: a living tapestry of time that brings a golden age of travel into the now.

Visit Orient Express La Minerva