Caviar fettuccine at the table: Cara restaurant to open at Hotel de la Ville in Rome on 5 December

On 5 December 2026, Rocco Forte Hotels will open Cara Roma, a new “fun dining, not fine dining” restaurant at Hotel de la Ville, at the top of the Spanish Steps. The menu is by Fulvio Pierangelini, the group’s creative director of food, and the concept will travel to Sardinia and Naples in 2027.

☰Contents

1. Not stuffy, not a trattoria: the idea behind Cara
2. 5 December, at the top of the Spanish Steps
3. Truffle pizzetta and carbonara gratin
4. Fettuccine finished with caviar before your eyes
5. After Rome? Sardinia and Naples in 2027
6. 104 rooms and a rooftop terrace facing Rome

Not stuffy, not a trattoria: the idea behind Cara

The group’s chosen motto, “fun dining, not fine dining”, is a play on words: a place to have a good time rather than a ceremonious gastronomic restaurant. The project is led by Lydia Forte, Vice President of Food & Beverage at the family-run group: “I wanted to offer Rome something fresh: high-quality Italian cuisine, served simply, in a place that is neither a formal fine-dining restaurant nor a traditional trattoria, where you can dress up and have a fun evening.” She also says she is “delighted to bring Fulvio’s cooking to Rome in this setting for the first time”.

5 December, at the top of the Spanish Steps

Cara Roma will open on Saturday 5 December 2026 and will serve dinner every evening, from 7pm to 10.30pm. Hotel de la Ville occupies an 18th-century palazzo at the top of the Trinità dei Monti steps, better known as the Spanish Steps. The restaurant’s design has been entrusted to Paolo Moschino: contemporary interiors, an open kitchen, a light-filled veranda and a leafy Roman courtyard. No photos of the new dining room have been released yet; the courtyard picture above predates the works.

Truffle pizzetta and carbonara gratin

The menu is by Fulvio Pierangelini, creative director of food at Rocco Forte Hotels; the press release does not say who will run the kitchen day to day in Rome. Expect a tartare of red prawns and stracciatella, a pizzetta with artichoke, truffle and pecorino, a carbonara gratin and homemade tortelli di zucca, pasta filled with pumpkin. For bigger appetites, there will be a whole grilled turbot and a beef shank slow-cooked in Brunello, Tuscany’s great red wine, alongside pizzette, fresh homemade pasta and casseroles to share.

Fettuccine finished with caviar before your eyes

Part of the meal will play out in the dining room. A mini Martini trolley will make the rounds of the tables, in several styles, alongside a list of Italian cocktails. The fettuccine Alfredo will be finished with caviar in front of guests, the Imperiale ice cream whipped at the table, and everyone will leave with a surprise to take home. The very extensive wine list will be devoted to Italy, from great estates to small artisan producers.

In Italian, cara means “dear”, as at the top of a letter. Fulvio Pierangelini runs with the image: “Cara is the beginning of a passionate letter that we love to write. […] A team ready to surprise you with technique, poetry, rhythm and pure cuisine.”

After Rome? Sardinia and Naples in 2027

Rome is only the first address. In 2027, the concept will move into the group’s two new Italian properties: Cara Porto Cervo in Aleni, Sardinia, and Cara Napoli at Palazzo Sirignano in Naples. Rocco Forte Hotels says other destinations will follow, without naming them.

104 rooms and a rooftop terrace facing Rome

Hotel de la Ville has 104 rooms and suites, designed by Tommaso Ziffer with Olga Polizzi in the spirit of the Grand Tour, the journey through Italy made by 18th-century European travellers. Cara Roma will join Cielo Restaurant and Bar on the rooftop terrace, the Julep Bar and Café Ginori, as well as the Irene Forte Spa. To go further, see our ranking of the best hotels in Rome and the libraries of the Rocco Forte hotels, put together book by book.