Massimo Salvianti

A touching story of an Italian book seller of Jewish ancestry who lives in his own little fairy tale. His creative and happy life would come to an abrupt halt when his entire family is deported to a concentration camp during World War II. While locked up he tries to convince his son that the whole thing is just a game.

In the Tuscan countryside at the end of the 19th century, Pietro, the shy son of a tyrannical landowner, falls in love with Ghisola, a peasant girl with no family. His father has her sent away. Years later, the two meet again: still in love with her, Pietro would like to marry her, but she has become the mistress of a married man.

1943, an estate north of Firenze. The weight of the world is on the shoulders of Penny, who's about 10. An orphan, she must watch over her little sister when they go to live with her aunt and uncle. Penny's a Catholic, and worries about her uncle's soul. He's Jewish, progressive and a free thinker, a fair boss, and devoted to his family. He can be stern, so Penny also worries that she'll never please him and that he won't love her. Then, after the Allied forces land in Sicily and the Germans begin their retreat, Penny must worry about her uncle's life. She tries logic and appeals to human decency. Can a child keep the sky from falling?

1939: a Tuscan village awaits the arrival of Il Duce. A dog finds a decomposing fetus. Investigations begin immediately: given the exceptional circumstances, someone must be found responsible. And they find someone: a member of the only poor family in the area. A predictable social-political discourse, lacking in talent and inspiration. Chiti was a slightly better writer.

Three friends see their end-of-summer motorhome holiday trip hijacked by Viola, a beautiful girl on the run from both the law and the mob after a robbery.

In a small Tuscan village that's waiting for the local festival to commence, amidst confusion about the fall of Communism, the lives of some dazed characters intertwine.

Renzo falls in love with feminist Margherita, too emancipated for him: they start a troubled relationship until he kidnaps her, forcing her to be an housewife devoted to her husband.

The film is set in a house in a Tuscan landscape, has an ironic content and a Christmas frame. The film is divided into 5 episodes: The Family, The Lunch, Unexpected Pregnancy, The Videotape and Epilogue.