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At the elegant Hotel Navona, friendly owners Cory and Patricia Natale invite you to spend the night in their family's 15th-century palace. Built on the ruins of the ancient Baths of Agrippa, it dates to 33 B.C. Got your attention?
Five and a half centuries later, the Natales, who operate their hotel with charming style, have added a few modern conveniences. Though, as the Navona must accommodate the old palace floor plan, rooms come in a host of configurations.
The 31 rooms line the halls on the second floor and showcase some of the structure's original stonework. Stucco designs add accents, and there are frescoes on the ceilings of four rooms. The gorgeous 18th- and 19th-century antiques were brought down from the family's second palace in Venice. And baths (not the ones from 33 B.C.) are tiled in elaborate green and ivory tiles.
Spotless terra-cotta covers the rest of the hotel's floors. Ruins from the ancient baths decorate the wood-beamed breakfast rooms, the courtyard, and the hotel walls.
Obviously, the Navona is no dive. Puns aside, we're willing to take the plunge and declare it our pick for "Most Remarkable Hotel Built on a Ruin."
The Hotel Navona is located on Via di Sedairai, smack between Piazza Navona and the Pantheon. The Natale family also operates the Residenza Zanardelli, just north of Piazza Navona.
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