| 1 | Raffaella | Cerullo | Elena's best friend. Aka: Lila; Lina; Signora Raffaella Carracci. |
| | Enzo | Scanno | Lila's childhood friend and admirer. |
| | Pasquale | | Lila's friend. Aka: Pasque. |
| | Maestra | Oliviero | A teacher. |
| | Rino | | Lila's brother. |
| | Fernando | Cerullo | Lila's father. A shoemaker. |
| | Marcello | Solara | Lila's suitor. Aka: Marce. |
| | Stefano | Carracci | Lila's husband. Aka: Stef. |
| | Michele | | Marcello's brother. Aka: Miche. |
| 2 | Alfonso | | Stefano's brother. |
| | Marisa | | Alfonso's girlfriend. |
| | Antonio | | Elena's boyfriend. Aka: Anto. |
| | Nino | Sarratore | Oldest son of Donato Sarratore. |
| | Elena | Greco | A writer. Aka: Lenu; Lenuccia. |
| | Manuela | Solara | Marcello and Michele's mother. Aka: Signora Solara. |
| 3 | Pinuccia | | Stefano's sister. Aka: Pina. |
| | Elisa | | Elena's sister. |
| | Carmela | | Pasquale's sister. Aka: Carmen. |
| | Ada | | Pasquale's fiancé. |
| | Gigliona | | Michele Solara's fiance. |
| 5 | Jacqueline | Kennedy | Former First Lady of the United States. |
| | Melina | Cappuccio | Antonio and Ada's mother. |
| | Don Achille | | Stefano's father. |
| 6 | Silvio | Solara | Marcello and Michele's father. |
| 8 | Maria | Carracci | Stefano's mother. |
| 9 | Professor | Galiani | A high school teacher. |
| 11 | Dmitri | Mendeleev | A Russian chemist and inventor. |
| 14 | Gallese | | A shop owner. |
| 15 | Jennifer | Jones | American actress. |
| | Ava | Gardner | American actress. |
| 18 | Renato | Carosone | Italian musician. |
| | Vittorio | De Sica | Italian director and actor. |
| | Nunzia | Cerullo | Lila's mother. |
| 21 | Giuseppina | Peluso | Pasquale's mother. |
| | Anaximander | | A Greek philosopher. |
| | Hesiod | | A Greek poet. |
| 23 | Nella | Incardo | Maestro Oliviero's cousin. |
| 24 | Linda | | The stationer's daughter. |
| 25 | Rossano | Brazzi | Italian actor. |
| 29 | Nicolo Antonio | Zingarelli | An Italian composer. |
| | Donato | Sarratore | A journalist. |
| 32 | Giuseppe | Montalenti | An Italian geneticist. |
| 34 | Rogelio | Frigerio | An Argentine economist and politician. |
| | Armando | | Professor Galiani's son. |
| | Nadia | | Professor Galiani's daughter. |
| | Paul | Anka | A Canadian singer, songwriter and actor . |
| 35 | Carlo | | One of Armando's acquaintances. |
| | Leone | | One of Armando's acquaintances. |
| | Danilo | Dolci | An Italian social activist, sociologist. |
| | Martin Luther | King Jr. | An American Christian minister and activist. |
| | Beltrand | Russell | A British philosopher. |
| 38 | Gino | | A pharmacist's son. |
| 40 | Plato | | An Athenian philosopher. |
| | Johannes | Kepler | A German astronomer, mathematician. |
| 41 | Samuel | Beckett | An Irish novelist, playwright, short story writer. |
| 43 | Lidia | | Donato Sarratore's wife. |
| | Pino | | One of Lidia's children. |
| | Clelia | | One of Lidia's children. |
| | Ciro | | One of Lidia's children. |
| 45 | Bruno | Soccavo | Nino's friend. |
| | Federico | Chabod | An Italian historian. |
| 47 | Esther | Williams | An American competitive swimmer and actress. |
| 48 | Daniel | Rooney | An American executive and diplomat. |
| 67 | Lello | | Gigliola's brother. |
| 69 | Marie | Curie | A French-Polish physicist. |
| | Grazia | Deledda | An Italian writer. |
| | Nilde | Iotti | An Italian politician. |
| | Madonna | | An American singer-songwriter. |
| 78 | Fernando | | Pinuccia's son. Aka: Dino |
| | Mike | Bongiorno | An American-Italian television host. |
| | Odin | Gray | A novelist. |
| 79 | Nicola | Scanno | A fruit-and-vegetable seller. |
| | Don Carlo | Resta | A businessman. |
| 80 | Giacomo | Leopardi | An Italian philosopher, poet, essayist, and philologist. |
| 83 | Prince Andrew | | A member of the British Royal family. |
| | Franco | Mari | Elena Greco's classmate. |
| | Leon | Trotsky | A politician. |
| 91 | Pier Paolo | Pasolini | An Italian film director. |
| 97 | Gennaro | | Lila's son. Aka: Rinuccio. |
| | Assunta | Scanno | Enzo's mother. |
| 100 | Fabrizio | | Alfonso's friend. |
| 107 | Pietro | Airota | Elena Greco's boyfriend. |
| | Dido | | An English singer and songwriter. |
| | Federico | Fellini | An Italian film director. |
| | Michaelangelo | Antonioni | An Italian film director. |
| | Airota | | Professor of Greek literature. |
| | Adele | Airota | Professor Airota's wife. |
| | Mariarosa | | Pietro's sister. |
| | Jean | Piaget | A Swiss psychologist. |
| 111 | Angelo Fausto | Coppi | An Italian cyclist. |
| 112 | Soraya | | An American singer-songwriter. |
| 116 | Maria | | Ada's daughter. |
| 120 | Maestro | Ferraro | A teacher and librarian. |
| 121 | Gina | | Adele Airota's acquaintance. |
| 123 | Titina | | Lila's neighbor. Aka: Titi. |
| 125 | Gianni | | One of Elena's brothers. |
| | Peppe | | One of Elena's brothers. |
