30 editor picks across Italy.
30 rooftop bars worth the night across Italy, editor-ranked. All Italy guides.
George Restaurant crowns the Grand Hotel Parker's on Corso Vittorio Emanuele with a roof-garden dining room and bar terrace, where chef Domenico Candela.
TipDinner service Tuesday to Saturday from 19:45; ask for a terrace table at 19:00 for the strongest light on Vesuvius. Closed early January and late August.
Ceresio 7 opened in September 2013 on the penthouse of the former Enel headquarters in Isola, designed by Dimore Studio for Dean and Dan Caten of Dsquared2, with two outdoor pools, twin terraces and 360-degree sightlines across the Bosco Verticale and Unicredit Tower.
TipCocktails run around 22 euros and pool access is dining-guest only; book the terrace at sunset for the strongest light on the skyline. M5 Monumentale is the closest metro.
Aroma occupies the top floor of Palazzo Manfredi with a 28-seat dining room and a covered terrace pointed directly at the Colosseum, where chef Giuseppe Di Iorio runs a Michelin-starred kitchen alongside a 600-label cellar weighted toward champagne.
TipThe Colosseum view is the entire point; reserve a terrace table at sunset for the strongest light on the arches. A short aperitivo at the bar without dinner is sometimes possible.
Skyline crowns the Hilton Molino Stucky on Giudecca, a former flour mill turned hotel that hosts the city's highest rooftop bar, with a signature cocktail.
TipThe hotel runs a free shuttle boat from San Marco Giardinetti; book a sunset slot for the strongest light on the dome of the Salute. Cocktails sit around twenty five euros.
701 Rooftop opened in summer 2024 on the seventh floor of the Lungarno Collection's Gallery Hotel Art a step from Ponte Vecchio, with two panoramic terraces pointing at Brunelleschi's Duomo, Giotto's Tower and Palazzo Vecchio and an interior by architect Michele Bonan in warm boiserie and English-club lines.
TipCocktails sit around 22 euros and the bar opens for sunset only, Tuesday to Saturday. Book a terrace table well ahead for the Duomo sightline; the room is small and reserves out fast.
Terrazza Gallia sits seven floors above Piazza Duca d'Aosta on top of the Excelsior Hotel Gallia opposite Stazione Centrale, with chef Vincenzo Lebano cooking under consultancy from the Cerea brothers of Da Vittorio and a wraparound bar terrace open from noon to late.
TipThe bar runs through the dinner service so cocktails without dining are possible at the terrace counter; the view picks up the Pirelli tower and the Porta Nuova skyline.
The Hassler's bar sits at the top of the Spanish Steps with a terrace that looks straight down Via Sistina and across the rooftops of the centre, a piano-lounge classic that has been the canonical aperitivo balcony at Trinita dei Monti for decades.
TipBook the small outdoor terrace at sunset rather than the inside lounge; the seats are limited and the Spanish Steps view is the reason to come. Smart dress, no shorts in the evening.
La Terrazza crowns the Dorchester Collection's Hotel Eden with a Michelin-starred dining room and a wraparound bar terrace pointed across Villa Medici, the Spanish Steps and St Peter's, with a cocktail programme that runs alongside chef Salvatore Bianco's Mediterranean kitchen.
TipDrinks at the bar terrace are sometimes available without a dining reservation if you arrive at 18:00, but the dinner crowd takes over after 19:30. Cocktails sit around 23 euros.
The Court sits on the ground-level terrace of Palazzo Manfredi directly above the Ludus Magnus excavations, where bar manager Matteo Zed runs a cocktail programme inspired by Rome's fountains with the Colosseum filling the sightline beyond the rail.
TipCocktails here are 27 euros but include a Prosecco welcome and a long passed-bite list, so it works as a one-drink Colosseum sit. Book a terrace seat well ahead.
Cosimo opened in summer 2025 on the sixth floor of the Excelsior on Piazza Ognissanti, taking over the rooftop that traded for years as Se-Sto on Arno, with a glass-walled dining room, open-air terrace seating and a 360-degree sightline that picks up the Duomo, Ponte Vecchio and the Oltrarno hills across the Arno.
TipThe bar runs from midday to 01:00, so a terrace drink does not need a dinner booking. Restaurant main courses run €40 to €90 and the dress code is smart casual.
Picteau anchors the Hotel Lungarno lobby on Borgo San Jacopo with a salotto-style room hung with Picasso and Cocteau pieces and a terrace pointed straight at Ponte Vecchio, where bartenders Marco Colonnelli and Vincenzo Civita run a cocktail programme paired with the Borgo San Jacopo kitchen.
TipThe riverside terrace is the seat in summer; the indoor lounge with the Picasso fireplace works year-round. Cocktails run around 22 euros.
Riserva Rooftop opened in 2019 on Via Alessandro Manzoni high on the Posillipo hill, with an elevated Italian dining room, a Sky Lounge Martini terrace added.
TipSunset on the Sky Lounge is the picture; book the terrace for 19:30 or later. The hill is a taxi ride from the centre; service runs late only on weekends.
Settimo sits on the seventh floor of the Sofitel Rome Villa Borghese with a wraparound terrace that takes in the Seven Hills and St Peter's dome, with chef Giuseppe D'Alessio running a modern Roman menu alongside a bar that opens for sunset cocktails.
TipBar service runs through the dinner hours; if you only want a drink, ask for the lounge terrace rather than a dining table. The Villa Borghese gardens are a short walk after.
Cielo runs across two floors on top of the Rocco Forte Hotel de la Ville at the head of the Spanish Steps, with the sixth-floor bar handling cocktails, DJ sets and light bites under red-and-white striped umbrellas and the seventh-floor restaurant taking dinner service.
TipSunset DJ sets on the sixth floor are the reason locals queue; arrive 18:00 if you want a table on the terrace edge. Cocktails run around 25 euros so this is a one-drink stop for most.
Sky Bar inside Piano35 atop Renzo Piano's Intesa Sanpaolo skyscraper in Turin pours aperitivo with the city panorama from 35 floors up. Reservation only for the upper bar.
TipReserve from a week ahead for sunset slots; aperitivo a la carte around 25 euros.
Sagra crowns the fourth floor of the JW Marriott Venice on Isola delle Rose, with a 360-degree lagoon panorama, an open kitchen running modern Italian.
TipThe hotel runs a free shuttle from San Marco; arrive 18:30 for an aperitivo seat on the terrace edge before the dining tables claim the rail. Closed through the winter months.
Terrazza Mattuiani opens for the warm months on the fifth floor of Hotel Touring Bologna with a cocktail bar, loungers and an in-deck jacuzzi.
TipReservations are required; the jacuzzi slot runs 30 minutes per booking. Open May through September only, hours can shift if the weather closes the deck.
Libarium Nostrum drinks on the medieval ramparts of Castello in Cagliari, a terrace over the rooftops with cocktails and thin pizza until late.
TipOpen since 1993 and still the sunset table in Castello. Arrive before 19:00 or accept an inside seat.
Empireo has run on the rooftop of the Plaza Hotel Lucchesi since 2014, with a pool deck, an American bar and a wraparound terrace that takes in the Duomo, Santa Croce and the Arno bend, paired with the Segno kitchen for an early-evening dinner service through the warm months.
TipNon-guests need a reservation after 19:30; the pool is hotel-guest only. The view across to Santa Croce works best at sunset with a Negroni in hand.
Radio Rooftop sits on the tenth floor of the ME Milan Il Duca hotel above Piazza della Repubblica, with a wraparound terrace, daily DJ sets and a cocktail programme that runs alongside the Aldo Rossi-designed lobby below.
TipA dedicated lift on Via Marco Polo bypasses the hotel reception; book the outdoor terrace for the skyline sightline rather than the indoor lounge.
Miranapoli has anchored Via Francesco Petrarca on the Posillipo hill since 1958, with a long elevated terrace pointed across the Gulf of Naples and a service.
TipThe terrace catches both Vesuvius and the city below; bus 140 from Mergellina drops you close. Aperitivo around 19:00 is the cheapest way to get the view.
The Sky Lounge sits on top of the Grand Hotel Vesuvio on Via Partenope, with a wraparound terrace pointed across Castel dell'Ovo and the Bay of Naples.
TipThe terrace catches the strongest light at sunset; arrive by 18:30 to get a rail-side table. Smart-casual dress code, cocktails around twenty euros.
The Kursaal Kalhesa bastion-wall terrace on Foro Umberto I in Palermo opens to the Bay of Palermo from the Norman defensive walls, drinks and small-plates.
TipClosed Tuesday. The bastion terrace fills from sunset; book ahead for spring and summer.
La Terrazza sits on the top floor of the H10 Palazzo Canova a few steps from the Rialto Bridge, with a covered indoor bar and an open terrace section.
TipThe covered indoor section runs year round; the open terrace is the seat in warm months. A spritz or negroni runs around fifteen euros for the view of the Grand Canal turn at Rialto.
Algiubagio runs a centuries old bar at Fondamenta Nuove 5039 in Cannaregio, with a wide lagoon facing terrace inaugurated in 2009, chef Daniele Zennaro.
TipThe terrace is the seat in summer; the inside room takes over from November to March. Sit for a sunset spritz at 19:00 to catch the light on San Michele before the dinner crowd lands.
The highest terrace in Alghero, Blau SkyBar pours coffee by day and long drinks at sunset, and closes on Mondays through the winter season. Editors' pick.
The Roof Garden sits on the fifth floor of Hotel Metropolitan a couple of streets from Via dell'Indipendenza, with loungers, dining tables and a sightline.
TipAperitivo runs from 17:00 and the kitchen sends a short bites list at the bar. Closed October to February so plan for the warm months.
Divina Terrazza crowns the Grand Hotel Cavour on Via del Proconsolo with a covered sixth-floor terrace that frames the Bargello, the Duomo and Palazzo Vecchio, running year-round with heat lamps in winter and vaporizers in summer alongside an American bar programme.
TipReservations are essential since the deck is small; cocktails sit around 18 to 20 euros. The covered terrace works in the cooler months when other Florence rooftops shut.
Barril on Via Giuseppe Fiorelli in Palermo's Kalsa runs a small first-floor terrace alongside the modern cocktail and natural-wine carte, the creative-class.
TipBook ahead at weekends. The natural-wine flight pairs with small plates.
Terrazza Mirador opens for the warm months on the grounds of Villa Agrippina at the foot of the Gianicolo, with palm-shaded loungers, a Balearic-inflected cocktail list and a Japanese-leaning fusion menu run by Kobe-trained chef Koji Nakai.
TipOpen from May through September only; reservations after 19:00 are essential on weekends. The view picks up Castel Sant'Angelo and the Vatican walls from the upper terrace.
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