Crowning the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana’s reincarnation as Palazzo Fendi, Zuma’s opening marks the end to a series of renovations to a building that has seen much activity in recent months. In February, seven private Marco Costanzi-designed suites opened on the second and third floors of the Mussolini-commissioned modernist landmark, with Fendi’s flagship store residing on the ground and first floors. Now Zuma has arrived, with it’s Japanese izakaya-style cuisine — a familiar taste, thanks to it’s nine global counterparts, yet one that is unexplored in the Eternal City, where locals and visitors alike remain loyal to regional tastes.
Designer Noriyoshi Muramatsu, collaborating with Zuma founder and creator Rainer Becker for the 14th year, has maintained the restaurant’s winning aesthetic of natural resources — wood, bamboo, granite and stone — alongside steel and floor-to-ceiling glass. Muramatsu’s reference to the four elements is subtle but well-executed; bamboo lanterns hang alongside Tohiki ceramic bricks, while a continuous hunk of roughly hewn granite morphs into a robata grill that acts as centrepiece to the main dining room. From here, dishes like spicy yellowtail with sansho pepper, avocado and wasabi mayo, and the ubiquitous, but always welcome, marinated black cod wrapped in hoba leaf, are sent out, along with the usual suspects of sushi and tempura.
The convivial mood peaks on the 5th floor Zuma Bar and Lounge, which offers one of Rome’s most impressive vantage points — no mean feat In a city saturated with epic views. From here, nightcaps of cocktails and sake from one of the city’s most extensive selections are washed down with glimpses of the nearby Spanish Steps and the Vatican City. La Dolce Vita doesn’t get sweeter than this.
ADDRESS
Via della Fontanella di Borghese, 48
-
Marylebone restaurant Nina turns up the volume on Italian diningAt Nina, don’t expect a view of the Amalfi Coast. Do expect pasta, leopard print and industrial chic
-
Tour the wonderful homes of ‘Casa Mexicana’, an ode to residential architecture in Mexico‘Casa Mexicana’ is a new book celebrating the country’s residential architecture, highlighting its influence across the world
-
Jonathan Anderson is heading to Dior MenAfter months of speculation, it has been confirmed this morning that Jonathan Anderson, who left Loewe earlier this year, is the successor to Kim Jones at Dior Men
-
Sun-soaked European destinations to visit in springDreaming of Florentine palazzos and Greek islands now that the weather is starting to turn? Check into one of these beautiful European hotels and holiday homes
-
Everything you need to know about Italy's Lake Maggiore, according to FormafantasmaFrom baroque gardens to panoramic views, Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin show us around this Italian escape
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Romeo Roma: a new hotel that’s one of Zaha Hadid’s last projectsLocated within Rome’s Tridente, Romeo Roma is a palimpsest of periods in which the late Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid left her avant-garde mark
-
Five influential women hoteliers reflect on the changing face of hospitalityAs women continue to gain ground in the hotel sector, despite still being underrepresented in senior positions, five female moguls share their experiences of the past and projections for the future
-
Must-visit cinemas with award-worthy designThere’s more magic to the movies at these design-led cinemas, from Busan Cinema Centre’s ‘flying’ roof to The Gem Cinema Jaipur’s art deco allure
-
The best Milan bars for a fashionable aperitivoMilan’s after-dark renaissance is evident in a new wave of design-led cocktail bars, setting the right mood for enticing aperitivos and nightcaps; Milan editor Laura May Todd recommends the best
-
How Four Seasons Hotels became The White Lotus’ unofficial starAs The White Lotus season three whisks us to Thailand, Marc Speichert, chief commercial officer of Four Seasons Hotels, discusses the luxury group’s perfect synergy with the hit HBO series – and where you can live the experience
-
Night at the museum: the best art hotels to book nowSleep amid surrealists at London’s Broadwick Soho, or wake up to contemporary favourites at New Hotel in Athens – indulge in an immersive art hotel experience
