‘We like to mingle with people’: The Italian princess who wants tourists to stay in her palace | CNN

In the classic movie “Roman Holiday,” Gregory Peck’s American reporter encounters Audrey Hepburn’s incognito European princess without initially realizing her royal identity. With Rome as the backdrop to entertaining scenes of 1950s Italian life — Vespa rides past the Colosseum, shopping near the Spanish Steps, cafes and wild dance parties — it’s a film that, even 70 years later, inspires people to visit the Italian capital. Of course, while the Vespas, cafes and Colosseum can all still be experienced, aristocratic adventures are probably unlikely for most travelers — unless they’re staying at the Ruspoli Bonaparte Residence. Blending the luxury of a five-star hotel and the glamor and exclusiveness of a Renaissance palazzo, the Residence has to be one of the most unusual accommodations in Rome. Not because of its historic heritage, despite the fact it dates back to the 16th-century and has four huge suites decorated with antique furniture and tapestries. Nor because of its location, right in the center of the Eternal City’s central shopping district. But because it’s still owned by royalty — and guests staying there will be greeted by its owners: Princess Gi