Bella Vista. The view from Rome's Hassler Hotel.

by Beata Loyfman

Tom Cruise is following me. No, really. He and his young bride have some sort of sonar that tracks my activities for the purposes of replicating them and gaining international acclaim. Want proof? Remember that engagement story about Cruise ambushing unsuspecting Katie with a diamond atop the Eiffel Tower? Totally my idea. And where did the couple stay prior to the famed wedding? In a posh suite of Rome's Hassler Hotel, on top of the Spanish Steps. Coincidentally (or not) I found myself at just the same spot last weekend. Though my pockets aren't filled with Mission: Impossible loot, Room 408 of the Hassler was nothing to sneeze at (see photo above). What's more, I was here primping for my own nuptials. Eerie, no? Yes, there is the matter of a few years' timing lag, but these are just details.

I can't fault Cruise for his good taste though. Getting hitched in Italy is most advisable for anyone considering it (see Peter Sarsgaard and Maggie Gyllenhaal, Salma Hayek and Henri Pinault, etc.). And this is doubly true for the Hassler Hotel. From the incredible food (courtesy of the Michelin-starred Imago restaurant), to the jaw-dropping views of the Eternal City, to the white glove service, you really can't miss.

The only hitch (ha!) in your plans might be wrangling Italy's draconian marriage laws. They consist of obtaining stamps at various official offices in the city, none of which work in congress. So if you are late in having your grandmother's pre-WWII fishing license stamped, the particular department doing the honors may not be open again until the moon is waxing crescent and Saturn is in Mars. To avoid this head-spinning ordeal, just follow my lead and bring your own Internet-ordained minister to make the thing legit. Not sure if Scientology ministers count. 

Further reading:
* The Amalfi Coast is quite the romantic Italian spot, too
* Boldface: Celebrity travels