Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (1883-1945), was the founder of fascism, head of the Government of the Italian Kingdom from January 1925. He was also head of the Italian Social Republic from September 1943 to 27th April 1947. He stopped at the Grand to meet Gabriele D'Annunzio. During ISR, when the big hotel became a hospital, he attended the Grand several times to visit the wounded and his son Romano who was hospitalized after surgery.