Located inside the grounds of Villa Borghese, on the highest point of the Pincio, the Casina Valadier has arguably the best panoramic view of historic Rome—stretching across from St. Peter’s Basilica to the Altare della Patria, the ‘Wedding Cake’ monument to Vittorio Emanuele II. 

This palazzina, built in the neoclassical style between 1816 and 1837, became famous as a caffè for the Roman elite, originally known as “Il Caffè del Pincio”. In the 1990s it was the location for one of the most renowned restaurants in Rome.

The interior rooms are richly decorated in the Pompeian style, with walls covered in beautiful frescoes, recently restored to their original splendour. On the outside, there are large balconies for entertaining and sunlit terraces, and all is surrounded by the villa’s private tree-shaded Il Giardino dell’Aurora.

For two days only, the Casina Valadier will be transformed into the home of the Anantara Concorso Roma, presented by UBS, with the curated display of historic cars laid out in their respective classes, throughout the historic hilltop gardens—Collis Hortulorum.

On the Saturday morning, Concorso Sabato, the cars will be judged by a team of professional international judges, and then after the Concorso lunch celebrations, the cars will be summoned one by one to come up to the concours stage in a magnificent parade of the rare and the beautiful.

And on the next day, Concorso Domenica, just the winners will be asked to cross the stage once more, where they’ll be presented with their awards and prizes—the highlight of the show being the gran finale and the presentation of the first Anantara Concorso, il Meglio dello Spettacolo ‘Best of Show’.