-Since LincoIn! -You hear?
What hard workers!
''Parrari picca, travagghiari assai.''
-Less taIking and more working. -Got it?
You're bringing him up right, Professor!
TUSCANY, VAL D'ORCIA SPRING OF 1995
Here we are.
WeII?
A minute of siIence before this poetry, eh?
What? Don't Iook at me Iike that,
it's one of the most beautifuI pIaces in the worId.
-The view is amazing. -Just as weII, because...
-Is this it? -It's made of cIay.
-It's in ruins! -Come on, boys.
Use your imagination!
Men of IittIe faith, with no imagination. This way.
WeII?
Two, three briIIiant soIutions.
-BriIIiant? -BriIIiant?
Look at these cracks! Bigger than my hand!
-It needs to be rebuiIt. -The foundation is cracked!
Yeah, but I caIIed you, Micavi Construction.
But if we rebuiId over cIay...
Here, a beam.
Red ceramic tiIes, Iike the square in Siena.
You been there? AII you do is compIain?
What are you compIaining about? You make a fortune!
-Now you're the owner! -AII I have is debts.
No, the owners aIways compIain.
That's enough of that!
The windows are okay where they are.
I'd use aIuminum...
-Not aIuminum! -AIuminum!
-Not aIuminum! -You'II kiII him!
Look at the kitchen. It's amazing.
Francesca wants a big kitchen.
Look at that chimney. It's magnificent.
Here's the bathroom...
And the kids' bedroom...
Every room has its own bathroom.
Every room. Here's another office...
Or whatever.
Let's see what you come up with.
And here's the probIem: these basins.
I don't know if I shouId keep them. What do you think?
That doesn't matter. The probIem is
you need a Iayer of aeration...
The fIoors, originaI handmade fired cIay.
You know what that costs?
I want originaI handmade fired cIay.
Micavi.
It's an officiaI request.
Micavi Construction, can it be done?
Look at that.
Goddamn it!
Can it be done?
WeII, it depends.
If you ask me with the respect I'm due,
maybe we can obIige.
Where's that wood! I'm starving!
Coming, one second!
You sound Iike a boss!
You know there's a boy chasing after Sara?
Yeah, Francesca toId me.
-What's he Iike? -He comes over every day.
-Every day? -Every day.
He picks her up, takes her to schooI...
-Brings her home at night... -At Ieast he brings her home.
-He brings her home. -Thank God.
What's he Iike? Is he a good kid?
Yeah, Iike us at his age.
That's comforting, thank you.
-You'II soon be a granddad. -Hey, watch it!
-Grandpa, where are you? -Don't provoke me!
-Come on, we're hungry. -We need to start a fire.
CarIo, grab a newspaper.
-We'II make a fire. -My newspapers?
-Your newspapers. -Go find one.
HeIIo?
GiuIia, where are you?
No, she's at schooI. She'II be back Iater.
HeIIo?
-Can I park it here a minute? -Just a minute.
Thanks, I'II be right back.
Hi.
-ShaII I caII her? -No.
-Won't you come over? -No, I'm Ieaving.
Who's that?
Mimmo, her boyfriend.
-I have to go. -Wait a second.
-Don't teII her you saw me. -Why?
-PIease. -I'II give you a ride.
No, stay here.
I can take you.
Stay here.
You mustn't inhibit his gestures.
It wouId be Iike saying they're senseIess.
They might make sense to him, you understand?
Yes. It seems impossibIe to me.
Nothing's impossibIe.
Yeah, but I don't know what to do.
Try to find the sense in them.
Nothing more.
It's Iike deciphering hierogIyphics.
But in the end we managed to decipher them, right?
We'II have the usuaI meeting.
-CaII the others. -We'II meet you inside.
No, Iet's do it out here, under that tree.
Bien, my dear chiIdren,
see if you can guess this animaI.
Now my assistent, Giacomo,
wiII do his mime for us. PIease.
Very particuIar.
This is a very difficuIt animaI,
and Giacomo dispIays his great gift for mime.
-A Iizard! -No, but cIose.
It's an animaI that sIithers... that sIithers...
-A worm! -Not a worm.
-It sIithers, but not a worm. -A snaiI!
Not a snaiI.
It's not poisonous.
And Iet's say it's... It's very smooth.
-A caterpiIIar! -No, it's smooth, so it's a...
-A snake! -Good, a snake!
Giacomo did a marveIous job.
After huge success in Monaco, Paris and London
our very own Giacomo wiII now perform his Iast mime!
This is a very difficuIt animaI.
-A hare! -Not a hare.
NicoIa, shaII I Ieave your maiI in your office?
No, I'II read it here.
The maiI has arrived.
-A fox! -No.
No certificate...
A postcard from Giorgia.
A mouse!
A Ietter... But there's a mistake.
This Ietter is for Doctor NicoIa Carati.
-Who's that? -You!
-Me? -Yeah, you!
You're right! Jesus, I aIways forget!
-You read it, Giacomo. -He doesn't know how!
-Sure he does, you'II see. -I know how to read!
He knows how, too.
No, I'II open it, because
the gIue
is particuIar.
There.
You read it.
So everyone can hear.
SiIence! An important Ietter!
''Dear NicoIa:
I wouId have preferred
not to write
this Ietter.
You mother
has passed away.
She didn't suffer,
she went in her sIeep
very quietIy.
I write you
now
because
she made me promise
that when
she was gone
I wouIdn't
bother
anyone.
A kiss.
See you soon.
MireIIa.''
Good, Giacomo.
You read great.
Very good.
Is there sea where my dad is buried?
No, not cIoseby.
You shouId bring him. Near the sea.
You're right.
I'II bring him. I promise.
What was he Iike?
Him?
He was Iike AchiIIes.
You know who AchiIIes was? Your grandma must have toId you.
He was brave and sad Iike him.
He hoped the gods wouId take him away earIy.
You know how the gods are.
The best peopIe, the ones they Iove most,
are sent to Earth
and Iater taken away. But they Ieave a mark
so that we don't forget them.
You're that mark.
This morning, Iooking at the atIas, you Iooked just Iike him.
We did the same thing, Iong ago. We Iooked at an atIas,
because we wanted to take a trip.
We had to go somewhere far away,
where there was onIy sea.
That pIace was caIIed Cape North.
Where's that?
There.
And did you go?
I tried, but didn't make it aII the way.
Your dad wanted to go,
but in the end he Iost interest.
The gods were caIIing him.
Yeah, the gods were caIIing him.
-Why don't you stay Ionger? -I have to Ieave today.
Tomorrow the kids have a test.
-I don't want to go back. -Then stay.
I'II take you to France, to Greece,
to Africa, wherever you want.
Go on, choose.
WiII it be another 3 years?
No, of course not.
It's great to see you, Andrea...
SPRING OF 2000
It's definiteIy beautifuI.
BeautifuI? It's subIime!
A paradise. We toId him when we saw it.
I toId him right away: '' Buy this house.''
-He didn't want to. -And we insisted.
-So we said: '' Buy it.'' -And convinced him.
Look at that orchard! It's new!
-He even put in paIm trees. -In front?
They're smaII, but...
You made a nice IittIe sum on this project, eh?
Money off my friends?
You never make money off of friends.
-No, in spirit. -In spirit, right.
In the spirit of giving without receiving.
But they're driving me crazy.
Your sister is worse than he is.
Watch what you say about my sister.
I'II come after you.
She wants the roof tiIes darker so the match the...
-She has her reasons, right? -Fine, but...
Your car can bareIy make it...
It's getting oId. Like us.
CarIo!
-Francesca! -Is anyone home?
Observe, pIease... observe the arch.
-WonderfuI. -This...
-The orchard. -My favorite pIace.
Very Japanese...
Sara!
-Your daughter's getting married? -Yeah.
Are you happy?
-Yeah. -So teII me.
Did he ask your permission?
He did. With Iots of respect.
He's a good kid.
Good.
He needs a haircut.
You're right.
Look at this opening! It's magnificent.
A great work by a great artist.
You're Iike BruneIIeschi, Leon Battista AIberti!
Some day this wiII aII be yours.
Thanks.
Let's go for a swim.
-A swim? -You bring a suit?
-You seen my gut? -Give me a one-piece.
AII I have is a thong, but...
We're gIad you couId make it.
So are we.
It's amazing here.
That's why I invited you.
-Is everything okay? -Yes.
-And you? -Fine, fine.
Are you gIad your daughter's getting married?
Very much.
-Are you happy? -Yes.
Everything's okay?
-Yes. -Good.
I'm going to taIk to your son.
-I'II Ieave you two. -See you Iater?
-Bye. -Bye.
WeII?
-How are you? -Fine.
Good answer. Concise,
brief.
Growing a beard?
Or have you just not shaven?
How do I Iook?
What matters
is what the girI you Iike thinks of it.
That I don't know.
Then ask her.
What's she Iike?
Pretty?
-Very. -Have you toId her?
-It's not easy. -I know.
But teII her anyway.
First teII her she's pretty,
then teII her so are you.
-What does that mean? -You're handsome.
The question is whether you Iook better with or without the beard.
Is she funny?
I don't think so.
-Forget pIan A. PIan B. -Jump her bones?
How couId I teII my nephew to do such a thing?
What's her name?
-Ermione. -Ermione?
Jump her bones.
Get out of here! I couIdn't.
I know you couIdn't.
-Let go. -No, I won't!
The happy coupIe.
-Such beautifuI curIs! -Leave him aIone, Dad.
Fine, I won't touch.
I need to taIk to you.
Come on.
What is it?
Sara, my Iove:
I'm working in FIorence, at the Iibrary.
The other day I saw a newspaper from 1966
and I found a photo. I thought you might want
to see what your mom and dad Iooked Iike as kids.
You were born of the Iove between two happy peopIe,
and aII the sadness that came after
had nothing to do with you.
I'm trying to start over, far away from everyone.
I know my presence bothers you,
and I hate to bother anyone.
It came a few days ago.
That's you and Mom, right?
In FIorence, in 1966.
What do I do?
It depends how strong you are.
-Are you happy? -Of course!
Then it's time to be generous.
Goodbye!
IN MEMORY OF THE AID GIVEN TO FLORENCE
BY YOUTHS FROM ITALY AND ABRO AD
AFTER THE FLOODS IN 1966
Mom!
GiuIia!
Sara.
Mom!
Mom, have you got a bed?
Yeah, mine, but it's smaII.
We'II squeeze in.
I'd rather sIeep here. I don't feeI Iike driving.
-HeIIo. -Yes?
-Can you take our picture? -Sure.
Here goes. Move your heads cIoser.
Say ''cheese.''
-There. -Thanks.
-You're weIcome. -Arigato.
''Arigato.''
Let's go do a IittIe shopping.
For my new house.
Where can we go...?
There's Iots of stuff here.
This couId be for bread, but it's too sad for me.
These wouId be okay for pIate settings.
I don't know. For pots...
Something brighter, that stands out.
What's that?
A cast to make hats.
-Can we have a Iook? -Sure.
Thank you.
It's the famous ''Maestro di Santo Spirito.''
Two brothers painted it, Domenico deI Mazziere's sons,
AgnoIo and Donnino.
But I Iike Donnino much better,
I think he painted the baby.
Look at it.
It's beautifuI.
''II Maestro de Ia Conversazzione di Santo Spirito.''
And this is one of Maso di Banco's greatest works.
My favorite.
AII these virgins with babies...
Why do you Iike them so much?
You're pregnant!
Nobody knows yet.
How can I heIp?
There is one thing you can do.
-What? -PIay for me.
-Where? How? -There's an organ.
I haven't pIayed in ages. I can't.
Besides, we'd have to ask for permission.
Fine, forget it.
I ask onIy one thing of you,
and you can't because we have to ask permission?
You wanted to change
the worId and now you need permission to pIay?
Right.
Let's go.
One more?
No. I'm dead.
I'II abstain.
Give me a hand, I need a crane.
-SIowIy... -Easy.
-SIowIy... -What are we doing?
CarefuI.
This way, the exit's over here.
However...
you
shouId get one thing straight in your mind.
-ShouId I? -Go ahead.
I wiII.
Stop thinking of your brother Matteo as an obstacIe.
If you continue to think of him as an obstacIe
you'II end up hating him.
Are you drunk?
Yes. Good night.
However...
However.
-It's okay. -There was a thigh there.
You made a mess.
Sure you won't come to the wedding?
No, I'II come visit when the baby's born.
You promise?
Good.
Do you aIways wear those?
The sungIasses?
You Iook better without.
-Bye. -Bye, sweetie.
-Good morning. -Morning.
-Hi. -Hi.
Hi.
You want some coffee?
Yes, thank you.
-Have you had breakfast? -Yes. Some miIk?
Yes, thank you.
Did you sIeep in your cIothes?
No, I didn't sIeep.
Are you worried about something?
Sara?
No, not at aII.
That time, on the boat,
I wanted to kiss you.
Me, too.
NORWAY SPRING OF 2003
Dear uncIe...
or shouId I caII you Dad?
Anyway...
Dear NicoIa: We finaIIy made it.
Sometimes I think I recognize
the pIaces described to me when I was a kid.
Maybe it's just a fantasy.
It's nice doing things with the peopIe you Iove,
even though Ermione is very stubborn
and aIways changing her mind.
Are they aII Iike that?
Why not? Where are you going?
Go on!
Come on, pIease! Come here!
I convinced Ermione to take a fIight with me to Cape North.
She's terrified, but it'II save us three days.
I see the midnight sun faII to the horizon,
but then it stops and never reaches the sea.
I remember my father, my mother and you,
how you aIways say that everything is beautifuI.
I think you're right. Everything is reaIIy beautifuI.