The Fortyseven is a modern, sleek hotel with lighted frosted-glass motif and works by notable 20th-century Italian artists, including Mastroianni sculptures and Rotella paintings yet ideally situated for sightseeing ancient Rome’s principal attractions. Its 61 rooms feature original drawings by Mastroianni, Greco, Modigliani, Quagliata or Guccione – and contemporary Art Deco decor consisting of neutral-colored fabrics and light-colored woods, including floor-to-ceiling headboards and polished parquet floors. Marble bathrooms are telephone equipped. Guests can take the ancient lie-detector test, as Gregory Peck did for the benefit of Audrey Hepburn in the 1953 movie Roman Holiday by sticking a hand into the legendary Bocca della Verità (Mouth of Truth), a circular stone mask housed in the Santa Maria Cosmedin Church across a small piazza from the hotel. (Legend says the mask would bite a liar who stuck a hand into its mouth.) Other nearby sights include Circo Massimo (Circus Maximus) just behind this church, and, a few hundred yards from the end of Circo Massimo, lies the entry to Palatine Hill, the Forum, and the Colosseum. Guests rave about the candlelight atmosphere and Mediterranean fare at the panoramic rooftop terrace restaurant. Facilities include fitness club with unisex steam room; American breakfast included.
