ROME
A NEW CHAPTER FOR THE ETERNAL CIT YThey call it the Eternal City, but that doesn’t mean
Rome is stuck in the past. Post-pandemic, there’s a
new energy to the Italian capital. For starters, various
cult international hotel chains have chosen to set up in
residential areas where tourists rarely tread. Soho House
opened in autumn 2021 behind the train station in the
San Lorenzo district — home to a university, hospital and
Italy’s first pizza vending machine. Also on the eastern
side of the city is The Hoxton, Rome, which has brought
some London chic to the elegant Parioli district.
Closer to the centre, the W Rome opened in November
just off Via Veneto, bringing the American brand’s slick
take on the dolce vita vibe to Italy for the first time. On
the other side of the Tiber is perhaps the most exciting
of all: Mama Shelter, in the Prati district, which occupies
two modernist office blocks, both listed buildings. The
French chain’s playfulness has gone all out, with outré
carpets featuring everything from pizzas to Roman
emperors, and pastel swirls around the basement pool.
The highlight, though, is the rooftop restaurant, and its
views of the city skyline.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER (UK)
EGYPT
CAIRO STEPS INTO THE SPOTLIGHTEgypt’s capital will shine under a bright spotlight in 2022.
Hollywood is releasing a much-anticipated adaptation of
Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile, featuring an all-star
cast that includes Kenneth Branagh and Gal Gadot. It
also marks 100 years since Howard Carter discovered
Tutankhamun’s tomb; Jean-François Champollion
deciphered the Rosetta Stone, unlocking the meaning
of hieroglyphs; and the country celebrated semi-
independence from British rule.
Linking them all is the hotly anticipated opening of
the Grand Egyptian Museum, much delayed even before
the ill effects of the pandemic. Set to be the largest
museum in the world dedicated to one civilisation, this
£600m complex two miles from the Giza pyramids will
exhibit the complete contents of King Tut’s tomb. Other
highlights include an almighty granite statue of King
Amenhotep III and the falcon-headed god Ra — both
only unearthed in 2009. It’s a far cry from the crowded,
dusty cabinets of the former Cairo Museum, which was
closed in March 2019 and had its valuables transferred to
the new museum.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER (UK)Culture & history
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