From the very start, Hotel Principe di Savoia has welcomed artists, royalty, heads of state, and cultural icons from all around the globe.

It began with the legendary opera house, La Scala. This is where the greatest singers, conductors, and performers of their time came together – and as it was just ten minutes away by carriage from Hotel Principe di Savoia, we became the natural address for them. After the final curtain came down, the evenings often continued here.

Maria Callas was a familiar presence during her years in Milan. Hotel lore has it that after a performance she'd make her way to the kitchens to trade recipes with the chefs, and her most-loved dish was pasta alla Norma, named, so the story goes, after Bellini’s magnificent opera. (Perhaps this was because the opera itself was close to her heart: Callas sang its title role 89 times, more than any other in her career.)

Luciano Pavarotti had a similar bond with the kitchen brigade. They created a dish in his honour – penne with courgettes, tomatoes, and ricotta – and you can often still find it on our restaurant menu as Penne alla Pavarotti.

Long before fine dining in Milan became a talking point, Hotel Principe di Savoia’s kitchens were where some of the city's greatest voices felt most at home.

The hotel has always drawn creative minds. Artist Andy Warhol once had dinner here with actress Raquel Welch and turned the tablecloth into a canvas, sketching an impromptu portrait of his companion. Poet Gabriele D'Annunzio always asked for his table to be dressed with roses, convinced of their aphrodisiac powers.

Parts of the hotel’s guest book read like a history of the 20th century. On the list are names such as President Jimmy Carter, Burt Lancaster, and, in October 2000, Queen Elizabeth II, who stayed in the Presidential Suite with Prince Philip during her state visit to Italy.

In 2012, Charlize Theron chose Hotel Principe di Savoia for the international photocall of Snow White and the Huntsman.

In July 2006, The Rolling Stones arrived in Milan to open the European leg of their A Bigger Bang tour at San Siro. It was also the week of the World Cup final between Italy and France, so the band and the hotel team watched it together in a private room – we still remember that evening fondly.

David Beckham made us his Milan home during his time with AC Milan in 2009 and 2010, and the team members who met him still speak of those months with real warmth.

Sometimes the hotel itself takes the lead. The Presidential Suite's private Pompeian-style pool features in Sofia Coppola's 2010 film Somewhere, in the scene where Stephen Dorff dives in alongside his on-screen daughter, played by Elle Fanning.

At Hotel Principe di Savoia, these guests aren't just names in an archive. They're part of the fabric of the place, and every visit adds a line to a story nearly 100 years in the making. Book your stay before we close for restoration on January 1, 2027.