ITA Lounge Rome

ITA Lounge Rome review: A darn good pizzeria disguised as a decent airport lounge

ByScott

The ITA Airways Lounge at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport (formally known as the ITA Airways Piazza di Spagna Lounge) is a good one. It doesn’t offer much in terms of ‘above and beyond’ luxuries (such as a spa for example) but the food is fantastic.

It’s very well designed, nicely laid out, and quiet enough to be considered a legitimate oasis from the chaos of the main terminal.

The best part? They serve authentic Italian pizza that even Al Pacino would be proud of. Probably.

Overall Size of Lounge:3 star rating
Variety of Food:4 star rating
Quality of Food:4 star rating
Selection of Alcohol:3 star rating
Quietness / Privacy:2 star rating
Overall Rating:3 star rating

Location

You’ll find this ITA Airways Lounge in the non-Schengen area of Terminal 3 at FCO. It’s not all that far beyond the passport control area, and it’ll be pretty hard to miss as you’re making your way to the departure gates.

ITA Lounge Rome main entrance
Welcome to the ITA Airways Pizzeria Lounge! Based on what I’m smelling from way out here, I think this is going to be a good one…
ITA Lounge Rome reception desk
“Yeah, I’d like to order two large pepperoni pizzas with extra cheese and pineapple.” If the guy in the red shirt doesn’t get kicked out for mistaking this for a pizzeria, he surely will for ordering pineapple on his pizza. Blasphemy!

How to get in

Although this is an ITA Airways branded lounge, all business and first class passengers on SkyTeam Alliance flights are welcome. I was flying to London in ITA A320neo business class this particular morning, so that’s how I got in.

You can also access this lounge if:

  • You are a SkyTeam Elite Plus member
  • You are a ITA Volare Premium or Executive member
  • You purchase a day pass (which is approximately €45 at the time of this writing)

Layout

This is ITA’s flagship lounge, but you’d never know it just by seeing how relatively small it is (at least compared to the flagship lounges of other airlines). It’s not cramped by any means, but you may have a difficult time trying to find peace and quiet during peak times.

Walking into the ITA Lounge Rome after being checked in
Here we go! Not only was I feeling very impressed by what I was seeing in these first few moments, the smell of fresh pizza was getting stronger with each step…
ITA Lounge Rome pizza kitchen
And you thought I was being silly about the whole “pizzeria” thing. What you see on the left is a legitimate made to order pizza kitchen with a crazy talented pizza chef who was happy to oblige (except to requests for pineapple). “No pizza for you!”
ITA Lounge Rome cafeteria style seats
The majority of this lounge consisted of these cafeteria style tables and chairs. I’m not normally a fan of this sort of thing in airport lounges, but I’ll happily make exceptions when the food they provide is so good. You will want to spend the majority of your time in here eating.

At the center of the lounge is a very large self serve food buffet. There’s a fully staffed bar on one side, and various types of seating areas (which includes semi private rooms) on the other.

ITA Lounge Rome self serve food buffet
If it wasn’t obvious by now, the focal point of this lounge is the buffet-style food bar (located smack dab in the middle of the space). I’ll show you more of that in a moment…
ITA Lounge Rome lounge chairs
Those of you who hate the smell of pizza (or are cursed with being lactose intolerant) might appreciate these well-padded lounge chairs way in the back.
ITA Lounge Rome seating options
Those of you who prefer to keep a close eye on the pizza kitchen might like these lounge chairs out in the main area instead.
ITA Lounge Rome fresh pizza being made
FYI, it behooves you to keep a close eye on the pizza kitchen in this lounge. Competition will be fierce to grab a hot slice as soon as it comes out of the oven!
ITA Lounge Rome layout
ITA Lounge Rome floorplan
ITA Lounge Rome private seating areas
There aren’t many private seating areas in this lounge unfortunately. Like most things in Italian culture, this is a very communal experience.
ITA Lounge Rome communal seating area
ITA Lounge Rome lounge area with television
ITA Lounge Rome recliner style chairs

Food and drinks

The food is the best part of this lounge by far. Not only in quantity, but quality as well. You’ll find everything from fresh bread, to soups, to pasta, to sandwiches and pizza. The pizza is phenomenal IMHO. It goes fast however, so be ready to pounce whenever they put a fresh one out.

ITA Lounge Rome self serve food island
The fact that I had to back way the f*ck up to get a picture of the self-serve food bar (and I still couldn’t even get the entire thing in frame) makes this my kind of self serve food bar. Let’s eat!
ITA Lounge Rome fresh pizza
Pizza. Pizza pizza pizza pizza, pizza. Pizza? MF’n pizza!
ITA Lounge Rome food
Even if you’re not in the mood for pizza (how dare you), the are still plenty of other things to eat in this lounge. The pasta was excellent.
ITA Lounge Rome salad bar
As if anyone goes to an airport lounge to eat salad. Supposing that person exists, they have them covered.
ITA Lounge Rome cold food items consisting of pasta, meat, and cheeses
ITA Lounge Rome self-service food buffet plates forks and knives
ITA Lounge Rome fresh fruit
Scott eating lunch in the ITA Lounge Rome
What’s worse than ordering pineapple on a pizza? Eating it with a fork (like the ignorant American I try not to be). Talk about an international incident of the greatest magnitude…
ITA Lounge Rome pasta cheese cubes, rice, and ham
ITA Lounge Rome pizza slice

Getting a non-alcoholic drink in this lounge (anything other than water) is a bit frustrating. There are refrigerators with bottled water located in the central food island, as well as coffee and tea machines placed at various locations.

ITA Lounge Rome bottled water
You’ll find bottled water (both sparkling and still) under the food. Finding anything else to drink will require moseying on over to the bar.

Felling like a soda? A bartender will serve it for you. It’s basically the complete opposite of how easy it was to get a drink of any kind at the Incheon Oneworld Lounge.

ITA Lounge Rome full-service bar
The bar is over yonder BTW (across from the self-service food island).
ITA Lounge Rome alcohol and drinks
You may have come here for a Diet Coke, but can you resist walking away without a shot of Jack Daniels to go with it?
ITA Lounge Rome drink station for coffee and tea
Good news! If you don’t feel as if you could resist the temptation, you’ll be happy to know that there are these remote drink stations for coffee and tea. Disaster averted.

Pros and cons of the ITA Airways Lounge at FCO

The Rome Airport ITA Lounge is nowhere near the best I’ve ever been to. That’s said, it looks great, it feels cozy, and the food is pretty darn good.

Pros

  • Pizza is the perfect lounge food IMHO, and the pizza in this lounge is excellent. The best I’ve ever tasted (in an airport lounge at least)
  • There’s a wide variety of other food types as well. You’d have to be pretty darn picky to not be able to find something to good to eat in here.
  • It’s a very nice looking lounge that feels premium.

Cons

  • You’ll find very little privacy here. The experience is a bit too “communal” for my tastes.
  • I didn’t like having to ask a bartender for a Diet Coke. Stuff like that should be out in an easily accessible refrigerator IMHO.
  • It’s a small space, so expect it to fill up quickly during peak times.

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *