The Restaurant
A seat at the table, steps away from history.
Casa Maria is located in the heart of Rome, in front of the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, a short walk from Termini Station, easily accessible from every corner of the city by bus, metro, and tram.
The Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore
Built in the 5th century by order of Pope Sixtus III, Santa Maria Maggiore is the most important and ancient sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin Mary in the West, the only one to have preserved its early Christian appearance. Inside, it houses the Salus Populi Romani, the most venerated Marian icon in Rome, and the relic of the Holy Crib, which earns it the title of Bethlehem of the West.
Eight Popes are buried among its naves. The most recent is Pope Francis, who chose a simple tomb in Lavagna slate, with only the inscription “FRANCISCUS,” in the side nave between the Pauline Chapel and the Sforza Chapel.
According to tradition, its construction was inspired by a miracle: on the night between August 4 and 5 in the year 358, the Madonna appeared in a dream to the patrician Giovanni and Pope Liberius, indicating in the blanket of snow that fell on the Esquiline Hill, in the middle of summer, the place where the church should be built in her honor. Even today, every August 5, the event is celebrated with an evocative shower of white petals inside the Basilica, and in the evening a festival awaited by all, with music, performances, and the final Snowfall awaited by young and old alike.
A special bond
Casa Maria is honored to preserve an extraordinary gift: Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas, coadjutor archpriest of the Basilica, donated to the restaurant a fragment of the Holy Wall, now visible in one of the dining rooms. A piece of thousand-year-old history that you can observe up close, seated at the table.
The Cardinal also gifted a splendid volume recounting the history of the Basilica, a precious book that testifies to the profound bond between this place of worship and our establishment.
Dining at Casa Maria means sitting at the table in front of one of the most significant monuments of Christianity. History outside the window, the flavor of Italian tradition on the plate.
