He returned to Berlin in 1812, spending a short time at the Graues Kloster and receiving piano lessons from Johann Philipp Schmidt.

Frederick William III of Prussia rewarded Nicolai with a golden box for the same libretto - the king was one of his prominent supporters, giving him the Gold Medal for Art and Science.

Nicolai became widely known for his travelogue, Italien wie es wirklich ist (Italy as it is, 1834), in which he critically described the country.

Nicolai unsuccessfully sued for libel against the review Blätter für literarische Unterhaltung of 1 September 1834 (Nr.

Nicolai's first marriage was to Henriette Dorothea May, and after her death, his second was to Leopoldine Concordia Cölestine Grothe (1817 – 11 July 1852).