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Its central position and its established notoriety of being a nice and relaxing spot have given Hotel Internazionale a reputation that has reached many illustrious names.
Among them we mention the Danish sculptor Thorwaldsen (1770-1844). A protagonist with Antonio Canova of the neoclassic age, Thorwaldsen stayed at the hotel before relocating to another building in via Sistina. The sculptor had established his studio in piazza Barberini, and one can visit his funeral monument to Pio VII in S. Peter.
The English writer George Eliot (1819 - 80), author of Middlemarch, lived for a long time in an apartment on the 2nd floor. Eliot chose these walls to be a safe haven for the protagonist of her novel: “Two hours later, Dorothea was seated in an inner room or boudoir of a handsome apartment in the Via Sistina".
Thomas Mann (1875-1955), awarded with a Nobel Prize for literature in 1929, left some notes on his stay when he lived for some weeks in the building during his stay in Rome (1896-97). In Rome, Mann started writing on his masterpiece, The Buddenbrooks. He finished and printed his first short story, Little Herr Friedemann. Hotel Internazionale also welcomed, after the war, the novelist's family.
Mario Soldati (1906-99), Italian novelist, journalist, film director and scriptwriter, often retired to work on his books in a mezzanine on the last floor. His son Giovanni, a film director as well, recalls that on his desk, along with more traditional objects such as pens and reams of paper, were always his beloved Tuscan cigars.
Fritz Mahler (1901-73), the cousin of the famous Gustav Mahler, was also a composer and music director. He used to stay at Hotel Internazionale in the 1960s.
Orson Welles (1915-85), the great actor and eccentric director, used to retire at the hotel when he wished to withdraw from the frivolous Hollywood Roman parties.
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