Maria SoleTorlonia

Maria Sole Torlonia, class of 1985, recently set up with two other fashion editors, Corrada Rodriguez D’Acri and Delfina Pinardi, a very interesting brand, Blazé, which specializes in timeless collections inspired by the guiding passions of the three girls – horse riding and sailing.

Rome is so big and beautiful it’s often hard to get your head around it, let alone give tips to people coming from outside. If friends ask me where to stay though, I have no doubts: I’d recommend to anyone a fantastic place around 20 minutes from Rome. It’s called La Posta Vecchia, owned by Marie Louise Sciò and her family. It’s perched above the sea amidst parkland and has a restaurant is beyond stellar!

Another idea, but in town, would be the D.O.M, but I think it’s better to go there for dinner or a drink on their terrace with a view. You get there by walking along via Giulia, which is one of Rome’s most interesting streets, especially at night.

As for leisure activities, a marvelous place, close to my heart, is Villa Doria Pamphilj, which is an enormous park – nearly 200 hectares – that also has a rather wild part, which I adore. Given my passion for horse riding, my dream would be to organize a horse race there one day: I can’t think of a better location for one. In the meantime I content myself with going there to run.

I’ll close with a couple of suggestions for cultural activities, one ancient, one modern. The first is the Teatro Quirino, one of the oldest theatres here in Rome. When I was a kid, I was taken there by my aunt, whose mother was a stage actress. It’s not La Scala, but it’s beautiful.

The second is the MAXXI, the National Museum of XXI Century Art, perhaps the only really modern structure in Rome. The museum part is divided into two sections, art and architecture. It also has an auditorium, a library, a café and a bar/restaurant. They organize lots of festivals and other events there, so it’s worth keeping an eye on the programme.