Who We Are

Where we are located

Cento Bistrot is located in the heart of Rome, at Via Tomacelli 100, just a few steps from Piazza Augusto Imperatore, dominated by the majestic Mausoleum of Augustus – the largest circular tomb of antiquity. Emperor Octavian Augustus had it built in 28 B.C. as a monumental dynastic tomb for himself and the Julio-Claudian family. The first to be buried there was the young Marcus Claudius Marcellus (his nephew and designated heir) in 23 B.C., followed over the years by the ashes of other members of the imperial family, including Augustus himself and some of his successors.

Over the centuries, the Mausoleum went through numerous historical vicissitudes. It was looted during the Sack of Rome by Alaric's Visigoths in 410 A.D.: funerary urns and precious ornaments were stolen, the bronze plates with the inscription of Res Gestae of Augustus were torn and melted, and the ashes of the emperors scattered. In the 12th century, the powerful Colonna family transformed the remains of the Mausoleum into a feudal fortress, as often happened when reusing massive Roman ruins. Having lost its original memory, in the 18th century the area was even used as an amphitheater for public performances (known as Anfiteatro Correa), and from the second half of the 19th century until 1936, the Mausoleum served as a venue for concerts, the famous Auditorium Augusteo, where conductors such as Arturo Toscanini and Gustav Mahler performed. Only during the Fascist era were the buildings engulfing the mausoleum demolished, bringing it back to light. After decades of neglect and a major restoration that began in 2008, the monument has returned to its original splendor with its reopening to the public in 2021, once again becoming the beating heart of the Campo Marzio district.

The area around Via Tomacelli was once characterized by the Porto di Ripetta, an elegant river landing on the Tiber inaugurated in 1704 during the pontificate of Clement XI and designed by architect Alessandro Specchi. This scenic port, with its double ramps of concave and convex curves, served as a dock for boats carrying wine, oil, and grain arriving in Rome from Umbria and Sabina along the Tiber. The port, one of the most picturesque and lively spots of Baroque Rome, celebrated also in period engravings, was demolished in the early 1900s (around 1901) to make way for the Tiber embankments and the new Lungotevere in Augusta. Today, its memory survives in ancient fountains and paintings by artists such as Piranesi, while the area has been completely reshaped by modern urban planning.

A few meters from here is also the Ara Pacis Augustae, the monumental altar dedicated to the peace established by Augustus after victorious military campaigns (consecrated in 9 B.C.). Today, the Ara Pacis is visible inside a contemporary museum pavilion designed by architect Richard Meier and inaugurated in 2006, whose large windows interact with the ancient remains. In this area, during the major urban works of the late 19th century, new streets were laid out: the historic Via di Ripetta was straightened and extended, and the new Via Tomacelli was created ex novo, elegantly connecting the Tiber to Via del Corso. The creation of these streets involved the demolition of several old buildings; however, the designers of the time took care not to affect the 17th-century church of San Girolamo dei Croati, which stands nearby: the widening of Via Tomacelli was carried out only on the opposite side of the street to fully preserve the small Baroque church, still clearly visible next to the Ara Pacis Museum.

Today, this area offers a perfect blend of history, architecture, and contemporary life. Next to the brand-new Bulgari Hotel Rome (opened in 2023 in a restored rationalist building) and just steps from the famous shopping streets — Via Condotti, Via del Corso, and Via del Babuino — Cento Bistrot welcomes its guests in one of the most charming and authentic corners of Rome, where the millennial past continuously dialogues with the present of the city.