Palazzo Borghese opens luxury hotel with €25,000/night suites

Palazzo Borghese, a 16th-century Roman palace nicknamed "il cembalo" for its unusual plan, now houses Palazzo Vilòn, a luxury residence in its noble wing. Built from the late 1500s under Camillo Borghese (future Pope Paul V), the palace was expanded in 1658 by Prince Giovanni Battista, who commissioned architect Carlo Rainaldi and set designer Giovanni Francesco Grimaldi for interior renovations and a decorative cycle completed in the late 1670s, making it a high Baroque exemplar. Recently acquired by Shedir Collection, a luxury group already operating Hotel Vilòn, Maalot, and Umiltà36 in Rome and set to open Palazzo Roma, the property features original furnishings, rare marbles, and frescoes enhanced by architect Giampiero Panepinto. The hotel offers four bedrooms—Suite Borghese, Junior Suite del Cembalo, Chapel Room, and Superior Room—each with period decor and views of the private garden designed by Giovanni Paolo Schor, a green oasis with vases, niches, water features, and a central fountain depicting Diana's Bath with nymphs by Leonardo Retti. Guests can also tour grand reception rooms like the Salone delle Ringhiere, mostly by Grimaldi, with two staircases leading to a loggia on the Tiber, and the Sala degli Specchi, a gallery with light effects and gilt stuccoes suitable for events. The nightly rate for up to twelve guests is €25,000.