Nikolai Romanovich Romanov, born on September 26, 1922, in Antibes and passed away on September 15, 2014, in Tuscany, was a great-great-grandson of Russian Emperor Nicholas I through the male line, belonging to the branch of the Romanovs known as the "Nikolaevichs." He was an Italian public figure of Russian descent, a patron, writer, and historian, and he headed the Association of Members of the Romanov Family. Nikolai Romanovich used the titles of Prince of Imperial Blood or His Highness the Prince, which were not recognized by the Kirillovich branch.

In June 1992, at the age of 69, Nikolai Romanovich, along with his wife Princess Zveva, visited Russia for the first time. Italian entrepreneurs, friends of Nikolai Romanovich, invited him as a guide to talk about the country that always held an important place in his life.

Nikolai Romanovich dreamed of arriving in Russia through Finland, as if retracing the path of those who fled the country during the Civil War after 1918. However, his Italian friends chose a different route: first Moscow, then St. Petersburg.

Princess Zveva later recalled the first visit: "It was an incredible journey filled with emotional intensity. It lasted three days, and during all this time, Nikolai Romanovich did not sleep to miss anything. We traveled from Moscow to St. Petersburg by train. I watched him sitting in the compartment, an elderly man in a T-shirt, eagerly looking out the window at the forests, fields, and villages, absorbing all the images that passed by. This is how, at 70, he discovered this great country that always occupied a central place in his life."

The first visit to his homeland was quiet, without media attention or meetings with officials. Nikolai Romanovich later recounted: "What surprised me? Nothing. It was as if it was meant to happen and it did. I remember how the plane landed. I did not kiss the asphalt at the airfield. I stepped out with my passport in hand. A policeman was standing there, I showed him my passport, and he said: go ahead. He spoke to me in Russian. Everyone around was Russian. I am in Russia. I always said: 'I will return to Russia.' I never said: I will come. It was always 'I will return.' And I returned. Because, in general, I never really left it. You see, we always had a feeling that we belonged to Russia, but Russia does not belong to us. The fact that we belong to her is a great joy."

Upon arriving in St. Petersburg, Nikolai Romanovich immediately ordered a taxi and headed to the banks of the Neva. Once down, he dipped his hand in the water and smiled to himself, saying: "Now the Neva is mine!" This moment he had waited for his entire life.