Why Aroma matters.
Aroma is a MICHELIN-starred rooftop restaurant where Celio's ancient Roman setting meets Giuseppe Di Iorio's contemporary Italian cuisine, the refined hospitality of Palazzo Manfredi and an exceptional architectural panorama overlooking the Colosseum.
Set above Via Labicana near Via di San Giovanni in Laterano and directly opposite the Colosseum, the restaurant occupies the uppermost terrace of Palazzo Manfredi, overlooking the archaeological landscape between the Oppian Hill and the ancient amphitheater's eastern perimeter. Its glass-enclosed dining area opens toward a terrace overlooking the Flavian Amphitheater, with sightlines extending across the surrounding archaeological district. The elevated position places the restaurant above the traffic and pedestrian activity of the adjoining streets. A retractable enclosure protects the terrace during colder weather, preserving its relationship with the surrounding cityscape throughout the year. The result is a rooftop dining room whose architectural position, controlled seating arrangement and uninterrupted views establish a close physical connection with the surviving structures of imperial Rome.
What defines Aroma.
Aroma is best known for receiving its first MICHELIN star in 2014 under executive chef Giuseppe Di Iorio, whose appointment in 2010 established the culinary direction of the restaurant within the Manfredi family's luxury hospitality enterprise. The establishment forms part of Palazzo Manfredi, a historic property whose development as a boutique hotel expanded the family's presence in Rome's luxury accommodation sector. The Manfredi family's hospitality interests grew through the restoration and management of distinctive properties in the capital, combining architectural preservation with specialized dining and accommodation. Di Iorio's professional development began in the Italian restaurant industry before progressing through kitchens associated with internationally oriented hotel dining. His work in Italy and abroad introduced him to classical European cooking techniques, contemporary presentation and the organization of elaborate tasting menus. His arrival at Aroma brought these influences into a kitchen increasingly focused on regional Italian ingredients and the technical reinterpretation of established dishes. The restaurant's MICHELIN recognition followed four years later, establishing its standing within Rome's fine-dining industry. The distinction strengthened the relationship between the hotel's accommodation program and its independent culinary reputation. Di Iorio subsequently developed a professional partnership with resident chef Fabio Sangiovanni, coordinating the execution of the restaurant's seasonal menus. The kitchen expanded its attention to specialist regional producers, incorporating ingredients associated with Lazio and other Italian territories into contemporary preparations. Its culinary program developed four tasting-menu options, including a vegetarian sequence, alongside individual dishes selected from the principal menu. The restaurant's beverage operations grew into an internationally oriented collection, with particular attention to French Champagne and established Italian wine regions. Sommelier Alessandro Crognale assumed responsibility for guiding the cellar's development and coordinating wine pairings with the kitchen. The restaurant also became a venue for private celebrations and exclusive dining events, extending the property's hospitality activities into specialized occasions. Aroma's development established a sustained association between a family-operated Roman hotel enterprise, an internationally trained chef and MICHELIN-recognized contemporary Italian cooking.
Giuseppe Di Iorio's kitchen organizes its preparations around carefully controlled cooking methods, concentrated sauces and combinations of regional ingredients that preserve recognizable Italian culinary traditions. His interpretation of saltimbocca alla romana separates the familiar components of veal, prosciutto and sage into a preparation incorporating prosciutto consommé and sage-infused cream. The consommé concentrates the cured meat's savory character, and the herb cream introduces the aromatic element traditionally associated with the Roman dish. Marinated octopus accompanies red cabbage and a three-potato pie, combining the seafood's texture with the sweetness of cabbage and the contrasting structure of layered potatoes. Handmade tagliolini incorporates pumpkin, Gorgonzola and caviar pearls, balancing the vegetable's sweetness with blue cheese and saline accents. Marinated duck breast receives chanterelle mushrooms and blueberry, connecting the richness of the meat with woodland fungi and fruit acidity. Amberjack tataki combines pomegranate, sesame and turnips, incorporating Japanese searing techniques into a Mediterranean seafood preparation. Beef carpaccio accompanies hazelnut emulsion and Provolone del Monaco, bringing together raw beef, roasted-nut richness and aged Campanian cheese. Risotto with anise, sea bass and porcini mushrooms incorporates teriyaki, introducing a contrasting savory element into the Italian rice preparation. Candele pasta receives guinea fowl ragù and mulled-wine aromatics, combining a substantial meat sauce with spices associated with winter cooking. Monkfish appears with chestnuts and sea urchin sauce, pairing firm white fish with the sweetness of nuts and the concentrated flavor of marine ingredients. Grilled veal brisket incorporates plums and coffee, developing the meat through direct heat and contrasting bitter and sweet accompaniments. Dessert preparations include maritozzo filled with cream and candied orange peel, adapting a traditional Roman sweet bread to the restaurant's pastry service. A separate dessert named Il Colosseo incorporates sour cherries and ricotta, connecting the meal's concluding course with familiar ingredients of Central Italian pastry. Alessandro Crognale's wine program contains more than 600 labels, spanning Italian and international producers with particular depth in Champagne. The tasting-menu format coordinates these dishes through successive courses, with beverage pairings selected to complement the changing textures, acidity and intensity of the preparations.
How Aroma fits.
Aroma works as the culinary centerpiece for a Rome itinerary connecting the archaeological remains of imperial entertainment, the architectural development of the Roman Forum and the surviving religious institutions of the city's early Christian period.
Begin at Ludus Magnus, the surviving remains of the largest gladiatorial training school associated with ancient Rome. Constructed under Emperor Domitian during the late first century CE, the complex contained training facilities, accommodation and an elliptical practice arena for gladiators preparing for public combat. Its subterranean connection to the neighboring amphitheater allowed fighters to reach the performance area through a controlled passage. Excavated foundations preserve sections of the training arena and surrounding rooms, revealing the organization of an institution essential to Rome's public entertainment industry. The surviving remains connect gladiatorial combat with the specialized infrastructure required to prepare and accommodate professional fighters. Continue to Basilica di San Clemente, a medieval church whose successive archaeological levels preserve nearly two millennia of Roman urban history. The upper basilica dates principally to the twelfth century and contains an elaborate apse mosaic incorporating Christian symbolism, flowering vegetation and figures associated with the early Church. Beneath it stands a fourth-century basilica containing frescoes and architectural fragments from earlier periods of worship. A deeper archaeological level preserves Roman buildings, including a Mithraic sanctuary associated with the religious practices of the imperial city. The complex provides a physical sequence of ancient domestic architecture, early Christian worship and medieval ecclesiastical construction. Conclude at Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano, the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome and the principal ecclesiastical seat of the pope as Bishop of Rome. Founded under Emperor Constantine during the fourth century, the basilica became central to the institutional development of Christianity within the former imperial capital. Its interior underwent major reconstruction under Francesco Borromini during the seventeenth century, introducing a Baroque architectural arrangement within the ancient church. The principal façade, completed in 1735 by Alessandro Galilei, establishes a substantial ceremonial entrance. The adjoining Lateran Baptistery preserves one of Rome's earliest Christian baptismal institutions. The progression moves from the infrastructure of imperial entertainment through the archaeological development of Christian worship and culminates in the cathedral associated with Rome's episcopal authority.
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