Exciting news for those who love Rome's history (and food) as much as we do: The Ristorante Massimo d’Azeglio (inside the Hotel Massimo D’azeglio, one of the four Bettoja Hotels in Rome) has been inducted into the Association of Historical Places of Excellence in Rome.
Why is this big? Appointments to the Association require very high standards set by the Rome Capitale. These businesses must be "historical" and recognized by the association as part of the city’s heritage. (Tip: These are the places to see original antique furnishings, shop windows and signs.)
The Ristorante Massimo d’Azeglio dates back to 1875, when Maurizio Bettoja bought the building’s ground floor. The space had several stores as well as a long-established restaurant and wine cellar. The restaurant has been in the Bettoja family ever since, and an inn opened above the eatery in 1878. (The palazzo still has its original “Umbertine” façade.)
The cellar, called the Cantina, is also still running, and hold several thousand bottles of Italian and French wine (we hear that some are about as old as the restaurant itself).