Despite the simple appearance of the façade, Palazzo Mattei hides a beautiful collection of antiques in the courtyard, such as busts and statues of the Roman Age and Renaissance, as well as marvelous frescoes inside the palace. However, not all the guests appreciated these artworks. The famous poet Giacomo Leopardi lived here in 1822 and in a letter to his brother he wrote "... chaos, confusion, carelessness and other terrible characteristics of this place".