I Visit Rome Every Year, and One of My Favorite Hotels Now Has a Rooftop With Live Music and Fresh Seafood

Sure, Rome is hot and busy in the summer, but there’s no season nor crowd-drawing event that could dampen my love for the Eternal City. There are, however, hotels that make a real difference. (Trust me, I lived in Rome, visit at least once a year, and have the same go-to tour guide as Jessica Alba.)

After our typical days out exploring and eating all the pasta carbonara and amatriciana we could find during a heatwave last July (it’s never too hot for pasta; go ahead and try to fight me on that), my husband and I were thrilled to duck into the Six Senses Rome and head straight to the spa for a cold plunge each afternoon. As Rome-based T+L writer Laura Itzkowitz wrote, with its circuit of Roman baths at varying temperatures plus a steam room, rain showers, saunas, and a traditional hamam, there’s no spa like it in the Italian city’s historic center. In fact, we spent so much time down there, it took a little bit of convincing to get us up to the rooftop. 

Having opened in spring 2023, the hotel was just over a year old, and Notos Rooftop was still evolving. Even then, it was the ideal place for an Aperol spritz at aperitivo time, its perimeter lined with fresh herbs and plants, with a warm breeze, and the charmingly historic skyline view Rome is known for. This is Six Senses’ first urban hotel, and the brand captures that center-city rooftop vibe perfectly—making you feel both privileged to be in the heart of it all, and relieved that you’re relaxing on a cloud above the chaos. 

But this spring and summer, as even more visitors flock to Rome for the Jubilee celebrations, Notos is coming into its own. New executive chef Fabio Sangiovanni, who comes to Six Senses from the Michelin-starred Aroma restaurant at Hotel Palazzo Manfredi (the iconic hotel overlooking the Colosseum), has created a brand-new menu featuring seasonal Mediterranean dishes and refreshing cocktails and mocktails.

Picture this: You’re watching the sun set over the King Victor Emmanuel II Monument with a plate of gnocchi and vongole veraci (perfectly tiny but meaty clams) in front of you, your drink made with the fresh juice of the day. Live music is playing, international artists rotating as part of a series inspired by the Six Senses Ibiza.

In June, Six Senses Kyoto will take over for a week, with other chefs from around the world to follow, each lending Sangiovanni their unique flavor of expertise, and making your trip to Rome that much more memorable.