Location

To truly understand the Fenix, you need to know the neighbourhood where it was born. The Trieste district took shape in the early decades of the 20th century, when Rome, by then capital of the Kingdom of Italy, was embarking on a major urban expansion. The 1909 master plan provided for new residential districts, and the Trieste rose on land that was then still covered in fields and vineyards.

The district was officially founded in 1926 under the name “Savoia”, in homage to the Royal House that resided in the neighbouring Villa Savoia (now Villa Ada Savoia). Only in 1946, with the fall of the monarchy, did it take its current name, “Trieste”, from Corso Trieste, its main thoroughfare.

Its design was entrusted to leading architects of the time, who drew inspiration from European Art Nouveau – known in Italy as Liberty style – and from the elegant lines of Rationalist architecture. Among its most remarkable buildings is the work of Gino Coppedè, creator of iconic complexes such as the Villino delle Fate and the Palazzo del Ragno, now regarded as a “district within the district”. The area is full of splendid Liberty-style buildings and large parks such as Villa Torlonia and Villa Paganini, and it is well connected to the rest of the city by metro line B, with two stations just a few minutes from the hotel.

Originally home to Rome’s upper-middle class, the Trieste has remained a neighbourhood of quality: elegant without ostentation, lively without being chaotic. Today it is home to universities, embassies, leading schools and a discreet nightlife of cafés, restaurants and characterful venues – all on a human scale. A neighbourhood with a soul of its own, and the Fenix Hotel has been part of it for over sixty years.