Italy

Karl is the name of one of the suites. The pictures and sketches on the wall come from their godfather, Karl Lagerfeld. In another room, the atelier suite, sketches and drafts by Chanel and Dior adorn the walls. We are in the haute couture of the Roman boutique hotel: fashion is the topic in the Villa Laetitia. The reason for it is quite obvious: the mansion is one of the private residences of the Fendi clan. And it is rented to fashion-conscious and stylish visitors of Rome. The apartment complex run by the Italian fashion dynasty can be found in Rome, on the bank of the Tiber on the Piazza del Popolo, within a patrician house. The well-built stone men at the entrance remind of ancient times, and vintage objects and design pieces fit just perfectly. So does the filigree circular staircase. Each suite is designed individually, but chequered patterns and geometrical forms obviously range among the owners' favourite motifs. There is no hotel restaurant but If you like to you can order a candlelight dinner. Or you cook on your own in the kitchen. Afterwards you can enjoy a divine tranquility in the enchanted garden.

No juice bar, but a refreshing and fruity boutique hotel: The Orange Hotel wins you over with its original design and wonderful view. You guessed it? Yes, it's orange all over. Yet they didn't overdo it and mixed the strong colour with a subdued grey, resulting in a joyful impression. A clear concept, modern and stylish execution, the rooms are straightforward and not overloaded. The Deluxe Orange even offers free room service for an extra serving of vitamins, however, those who have enough of orange on grey should move over to red and take a wine on the amazing rooftop terrace. Along with the Chianti you get a free view of cupola of St. Peter's Basilica, which is less than a hallelujah away from the hotel. Big plus: It's a juicy deal, with doubles starting at 69,- Euro.

The Stendhal Hotel, with all the rooms painted light blue, looks like it might set sail one day. The striped wallpaper and wood panelling reinforces the feeling, and sitting down in the blue reading room you might feel like going along to discover new horizons yourself. Northerners do not like too many knickknacks, thus the Stendhal excels in subdued luxury and clear lines. Here a statue, there a little marble, the total being timeless and discreet, offering real comfort in a low key atmosphere. Actually, you might not want to set sail too quickly, because when you disembark you step right onto the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain and one of the most exclusive shopping street in the city, where you will definitely find the proper sailor's kit. Double starting at 255,- Euro per night.

Attention: There is nothing to drink at the bar - in the L'Olfattorio Bar you are served neither whiskey nor beer, but scents. This is how it works: Go into the bar and order Eau de Toilette. Then pick the scent that you like most.The perfumes on offer are from small manufacturers, and you can test them for free. When you like a scent, you receive the address in Rome where you can buy that perfume. The innovative business concept works, because it allows small producers to introduce themselves and to compete against the big ones.Aside from perfumes you can also purchase scented candles and all sorts of other olfactory delights. Just don't stay for too long, you might get dizzy from all those scents.

A concept store should have a clear concept. The weTAD founders knew from the beginning that they wanted to open a flower shop. Still, you have to put them into something and so they also started to sell vases. And once there is such a nice smell, why not sell a few beautifully scented cosmetics along with it? O.k. And a hairdresser would also go well with the cosmetics. Wearing artistic creations on your head, why not put some on the wall, too? Oh, you look tired, how about an espresso in our café? Or just lay down for a bit on our sofas here, which, by the way, are also for sale. This is how it probably happened, because today the weTAD Concept Store sells just about anything: Flowers, modern art, furniture, coffee and night lotions. And, of course, fashion, preferably from Vivienne Westwood and Alexander Wang. Never seen anything like that? Then it's time to take a look into the weTAD Concept Store, which has everything except for a concept.

Rome is ancient, but the brands of its stylish shops are always the latest. You will find the In stuff in the Nuyorica, which is Latin American for New York. Inside you will find everything that's hot, from Japan to New York. Of course, it's changing by the second, but currently it's Atsuro Tayama, Maria Chen, Balenciaga, Erotokritos, Nina Hohendorf or Girbaud. In the middle there is a surprising collection of classics: Marc Jacobs is the top dog, and Chloe shoes go well with the trendy garments. Some gossip to go: Cameron Diaz is rumoured to have been here! Around the corner there is a separate shop for bags: The Nuyorica Roots in the Via del Pellegrino 15.

The Trattoria pre-empts demanding guests and their complaints, letting them decide what to eat: If you desire you can put together your own menu. The kitchen can be observed through a glass window, so you can verify that the Trattoria is only using the finest ingredients for its creations.Onion and garlic are rather rare, while citrus is more common as a flavour enhancer. The ambiance is classy, too: The Trattoria occupies two floors of a 17th century palace, while the inside is decorated with much glass, chrome and modern furnishing.

Naturists beware: You should wear something to get in - the L'Isola doesn't expose itself. It won't serve any skin nor anything else meat related. The eatery is entirely vegetarian, including vegan and macrobiotic options. The furnishing, with a lot of wood and warm colours, goes along with the organic food, such as Polpettine Vegetali (vegetarian dumplings), vegetarian pasta and healthy salads. The restaurant is a typical example of relaxed Italian vegetarianism: Fish is a staple on the menu, and while most vegetarians object to calling fish eaters by their name, it demonstrates that Italians are, as a general rule, oblivious to dogmas.

It didn't take long until the Aroma, the new restaurant on the roof-top terrace of the hotel in the Palazzo Manfredo in Rome attracted the local gourmets. The unrestricted view on the Colosseum and Domus Aurea was probably yet another reason for that. In the kitchen, local hero Guiseppe die Iroio wields the sceptre. He plants the herbs for his dishes himself, to be smelled at on the terrace: thyme, rosemary, sage and mint. On the menu it takes the following form: medallions of calf with white truffles, twisted pasta with turbot, tuna tartare wit ginger and date soufflé or figs soufflé. His cuisine has already been rewarded the Five-Star-Diamond-Award from the renowned American Academy of Hospitality Sciences. Below-stairs, in the wine cellar, 300 vintage wines are storing under sommelier's Martin Pechev ward. These demand an appropriate appearance from the male guests: long trousers and shirt!

Once the Globe theatre was the centre of the action, today the Teatro Dell'Orologio is rocking the boat: This small theatre has left the mainstream and is as off-Broadway as you can be. Far beyond classical tragedy, the theatre is experimenting to such an extent that critics are left speechless. You might recognize the plays, but you will never have seen them like this: Ionesco, Genet, Becket and Maeterlinck are all rediscovered in strange ways. Shakespeare would be delighted and Brecht overjoyed: The Teatro dell'Orologia lacks the technical sophistication of the great stages, but its dedication to the art that makes this theatre so special. Valentino Orfeo is the artistic director, but other directors also play their parts. To be there or not to be? Poor Yorick would have had no doubt!

It took ten years, various culture secretaries and 150 million euro to complete the eccentric building designed by star architect Zaha Hadid. She especially put emphasis on the interaction between glass, fair-faced concrete and metal. Once again it becomes obvious: it's not only art, but also architecture which is maximal here in the Flaminio quarter. The 27.000 square metres of the area with its 20 metres high entrance hall forms an open, urban space and guides the visitors along curved walls and interwoven levels on unexpected paths through five galleries. In the well-lit museum (thanks to the glass roof) we find the two museums MAXXI art and MAXXI architecture. The house is devoted to preserve and conserve the cultural heritage by means of exhibitions, workshops, performances and (educational) projects. But more: it offers space for experimenting and exploring modern aesthetic contents. Tickets for 11 euro (reductions possible).

In Milan, Inter and the AC are at war in the San Siro, in Rome Lazio fights against Roma in the Stadio Olimpico. The four teams have one thing in common: They are all brilliant, at least from an Austrian point of view. Inter brought home the Champions' League with its proven defensive technique, AC Milan got that sought-after title seven times in total, Roma is playing with Francesco Totti, who won the World Cup in 2006, and Lazio counters with the Argentinean master Mauro Matías Zárate.Real fans should not miss the popular derby in the Stadio Olimpico. In contrast to some of the players, the audience is anything but defensive, and quickly boils over when the blood is stirring. Small advice: If you buy a ticket for one of the popular games, make sure you to sit with the Roma fans, not with Lazio - unless you tend towards the extreme political right.