Inside the 16th-Century Italian Palace Where Tourists Can Stay with a Real-Life Princess
Inside the 16th-Century Italian Palace Where Tourists Can Stay with a Real-Life Princess
Colson ThayerTue, September 1, 2026 at 8:16 PM UTC
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Inside the Queen Hortensia Suite at the Ruspoli Bonaparte Residence in RomeCredit: Residenza Ruspoli Bonaparte -
The Ruspoli Bonaparte Residence in Rome offers guests the chance to stay in a royal family-owned palace
The 16th-century home features historic decor, private butler service, and suites starting at $470 per night
Guests can also visit the family’s nearby Castello Ruspoli, a castle that hosts exclusive events and soon, boutique hotel stays
Historic architecture, exquisite dining and private butler services are all commonplace at Italy’s luxury-class hotels. But Rome’s Ruspoli Bonaparte Residence offers something only a few properties can — the chance to stay in a real palace under the ownership of a royal family.
“My family wants to share all this beauty we have been gifted with everyone else,” Princess Giacinta Ruspoli, an Italian lawyer and journalist turned hotelier tells CNN of her family’s property.
“We do not live shut in our castello, we like to mingle with people by opening the doors of our very home,” she adds.
Inside the Ruspoli Bonaparte Residence in Rome.Credit: Residenza Ruspoli Bonaparte
Alongside her mother, Princess Maria Pia, Giacinta rents out their 16th-century home in order to offset the “overwhelmingly expensive” maintenance costs required to keep the palazzo intact.
Giacinta says the palace is popular among American travelers interested in “experiencing royalty.”
“They pick us because they want to enjoy a princely sojourn and are curious to discover the history of the place and the nobles who still live here, like my mother and I,” Giacinta tells the outlet. “America doesn’t have a history nor heritage of aristocracy.”
The Ruspoli family has direct lineage back to the Middle Ages and the reign of Charlemagne, the Holy Roman Emperor. The Ruspolis made their fortune through Vatican connections and helped usher in several popes and even a saint.
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This specific residence housed Emperor Napoleon III, nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte, and his mother, Dutch queen Hortense de Beauharnais, in the 1820s. To this day, the palace is filled with artwork the queen commissioned.
Travelers looking to experience the royal escape can choose a night inside one of four suites. Rates start at about $470 and include butler service and breakfast. The entire palazzo can be rented out exclusively starting at $4,700 a night, Giacinta says.
A stay at Ruspoli Bonaparte Residence also includes a visit to the family’s Castello Ruspoli, a former hunting estate in the village of Cerveteri, about 30 miles north of Rome.
The castello was recently renovated into a 10-suite boutique hotel and will soon open for bookings at a similar rate to the palace. For now, the venue hosts exclusive cocktail parties, weddings, birthdays and formal banquets in the enormous main hall.
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“On weekends we take our guests staying in Rome over to visit the Cerveteri castle, and upon request, they can have exclusive dinners in the loggia with the best authentic dishes of this area,” Giacinta says.
“We consider ourselves as mere keepers of palazzo Ruspoli Bonaparte, we do not like to say we are the owners of it… Times have changed,” she adds.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
