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57-491: The film starts in a sun-baked and seemingly empty Rome on an August morning during the Ferragosto national holiday . A young, timid law student, Roberto, gazing out his window, is asked by a 36-ish man named Bruno, who is passing on the street below at the wheel of a convertible Lancia Aurelia , to make a phone call for him. Roberto tells him to come up and make the call himself. After Bruno fails to contact his friends — he

114-548: A common style, which for the first time be defined as "Roman". The collaboration between Alberti and Pope Nicholas V gave rise to the first grandiose building projects of Renaissance Rome. The plan for the city focused primarily on five main points: The intent was to gain a citadel of religion that had its focal point on the Capitoline Hill. The project's aim was to exalt the power of the Church, clearly demonstrating

171-413: A large number of artists together. There were various collaborations between artists such as, Vivarini , Bartolomeo di Tommaso , Benedetto Bonfigli , Andrea del Castagno , Piero della Francesca , and perhaps Rogier van der Weyden . This wealth of ideas prepared the ground for the synthesis towards the end of the century, and led to the creation of a language properly "Roman". Pope Sixtus IV created

228-614: A milestone for the character developments of the late 15th century. The last part of this century was dominated by the figure of Pope Alexander VI , from the Spanish family Borgia . He first turned his attention to the defence of the Eternal City. He changed the Mausoleum of Hadrian into a fortress, likewise Torre di Nona, to secure the city from naval attacks. His Via Alessandrina, now called Via della Conciliazione , remains to

285-645: A new monastery, assigned to the Benedictines. The pavement of the basilica and the columns were designed as signature pieces of the Colonna family . When Cosimo de' Medici was exiled from Florence, Donatello returned to Rome, remaining until 1433. The two works that testify to his presence in this city, the Tomb of Giovanni Crivelli at Santa Maria in Aracoeli, and the ciborium at St. Peter's Basilica , bear

342-483: A period from the mid-15th to the mid-16th centuries, a period which spawned such masters as Michelangelo and Raphael , who left an indelible mark on Western figurative art. The city had been a magnet for artists wishing to study its classical ruins since the early 15th century. A revived interest in the Classics brought about the first archaeological study of Roman remains by the architect Filippo Brunelleschi and

399-638: A strong stamp of classical influence. Brunelleschi also returned several times to find inspiration for what was the Renaissance art . While in Florence, Masaccio , first great Italian painter of the Quattrocento , became friends with Brunelleschi and Donatello, and at their prompting in 1423 travelled to Rome, along with his mentor Masolino . From that point he was freed of all Gothic and Byzantine influence, as may be seen in his altarpiece for

456-547: Is a public holiday celebrated on 15 August in all of Italy . It originates from Feriae Augusti , the festival of Emperor Augustus , who made 1 August a day of rest after weeks of hard work on the agricultural sector. It became a custom for the workers to wish their employers buon Ferragosto and receive a monetary bonus in return. This became law during the Roman Renaissance throughout the Papal States . As

513-436: Is considered one of the best examples of commedia all'italiana. Film critics frequently acknowledge that the story offers a poignant portrait of Italy in the early 1960s, when the " economic miracle " (dubbed the "boom" — using the actual English word — by the local media) was starting to transform the country from a traditionally agricultural and family-centered society into a shallower, individualistic and consumerist one. It

570-525: Is running a full hour late for his meeting with them, something he apparently doesn't deem a good enough motive for them to have "abandoned" him — he insists on repaying Roberto's courtesy with an apéritif. Tired of studying for the day and falling prey to Bruno's enthusiasm, Roberto accepts. Thus begins a cruise along the Via Aurelia , the Roman road that also gives the name to Bruno's beloved car. Roberto

627-519: Is unwilling or unable to part from this casual acquaintance despite having almost nothing in common with him. Bruno is loud, brash, risk taking, a bit coarse, and a braggart to boot. He drives recklessly, speeding and constantly attempting "il sorpasso" — the impatient and aggressive practice of serial tailgating and honking to overtake other cars on the road. He is also charming and likable, however, and Roberto feels drawn to Bruno's impulsive, devil-may-care attitude. Over two days of highs and lows across

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684-573: The Old St. Peter's Basilica , completed in 1445. In 1443–1445, Leon Battista Alberti , whose many talents truly epitomised the " Renaissance Man ", wrote the Descriptio urbis Romae , where he proposed a system for a geometric arrangement of the city centred on the Capitoline Hill . He later became the architectural advisor to Pope Nicholas V and was involved in a number of projects at

741-565: The Palio dell'Assunta which takes place on 16 August in Siena . Indeed, the name Palio comes from the pallium , a piece of precious fabric which was the usual prize given to winners of the horse races in ancient Rome. During the festival, workers greeted their masters, who in return would give them a tip. The custom became so strongly rooted that in the Renaissance it was made compulsory in

798-660: The Papal States . The modern Italian name of the holiday comes directly from the Latin name. According to Richard Overy, author of A History of War in 100 Battles , the Ferragosto Holiday was introduced by C. Caesar Octavian, the future Augustus, after his victory over Mark Antony at the Battle of Actium on 2 September, 31 BCE. During the early medieval period, the Roman Catholic Church moved

855-580: The Vatican Library and entrusted it to the humanist Melozzo da Forlì , the Papal painter. He frescoed one of the emblems of the Roman humanist culture of the time, Pope Sixtus IV Appoints Platina as Prefect of the Vatican Library (1477), in which the pope is portrayed among his relatives in opulent classical architecture. A few years later, under Giuliano della Rovere , Melozzo painted

912-618: The Carmelite Church in Pisa . The traces of influences from ancient Roman and Greek art that are present in some of Masaccio's works must also have originated from this trip. Unfortunately, any further innovation was curtailed by Masaccio's premature death at the age of 27. Eugenius IV (Gabriello Condulmaro, or Condulmerio) was born in Venice in 1388, of a wealthy family. He was nephew to Pope Gregory XII . His service to Pope Martin V

969-586: The Queen of Naples, Bracco di Montone, and others, he arrived on 28 September 1420. The first work began on the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran , which has been badly damaged in 1413. In 1421 the church was enriched by a new Cosmatesque floor and the ceiling was repaired, while Gentile da Fabriano received a commission to create a new cycle of frescoes in the right aisle. These were completed by Pisanello after his death in 1427. The basilica also received

1026-682: The Roman Renaissance. Roman Renaissance art remained largely dependent on artists from further north, above all Florence , until at least the start of the 16th century. Spending by the popes and cardinals considerably increased, tempting many artists to the city. The 14th century in Rome, with the absence of the popes during the Avignon Papacy , was a century of neglect and misery. Rome dropped to its lowest level of population, and those that remained were starving and wretched. Before

1083-937: The Vatican Palace with the Villa Belvedere, engaging Bramante to accomplish the project . The famous frescoes of Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel and the Raphael Rooms in the Apostolic Palace, the Court of St. Damasus with its loggias, the Via Giulia and Via della Lungara, even the statue of Moses which graces his tomb in the church of San Pietro in Vincoli , are lasting witnesses of his great love of art. The Medici Pope Leo X

1140-675: The Vatican. Shortly after they arrived in town, Beato Angelico and French Jean Fouquet began a series of frescoes in the Old St. Peter's Basilica, which testifies to the presence of the nascent interest in Flemish painting and the Nordic generally. Although the duration of the pontificate of Eugene IV did not allow for the full implementation of his plans, Rome became a fruitful meeting ground for artists of different schools. This would soon spawn

1197-520: The apse of the Basilica dei Santi Apostoli with Ascension of the Apostles between Playing Angels , considered the first example of the view "from down to top". The Sistine Chapel takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV, who had the old Cappella Magna restored between 1477 and 1480. It was originally to be decorated by artists from Umbria and Marche. But through the intercession of Lorenzo de' Medici ,

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1254-420: The arches, however, is reduced and simplified so they will not look too impressive compared to the spaces they enclose. In the building itself (built from 1466), there was a more faithful revival of ancient models, which shows a gradually deeper understanding. For example, the hall was once a lacunar in concrete (taken from Pantheon or the Basilica of Maxentius ) with overlapping orders and partially leaning on

1311-419: The coasts of Lazio and Tuscany , the two men fall into various adventures while gradually learning more about each other. They spontaneously drop in on Roberto's relatives, and, as a result of some of Bruno's observations, Roberto realizes his childhood was not as golden as he had remembered it. Later, he finds out about Bruno's failed marriage and teenage daughter, which reveals a life not nearly as carefree as

1368-452: The commission of the wall decoration was instead entrusted to the best Florentine artists of the time, Sandro Botticelli , Pietro Perugino , Pinturicchio , Domenico Ghirlandaio , and Cosimo Roselli . They created a series of frescos depicting the Life of Moses and the Life of Christ, offset by papal portraits above and trompe-l'œil drapery below. The work on the frescoes began in 1481 and

1425-513: The commune and the papacy, and internationally by the great Western Schism . It was finally Martin V of the Colonna family who managed to bring order to the city, laying the foundations of its rebirth. Pope Martin V was born at Genazzano in 1368. He studied at the University of Perugia , became prothonotary Apostolic under Pope Urban VI , and papal auditor and nuncio at various Italian courts under Pope Boniface IX . On 12 June 1402 he

1482-545: The continuity between the Imperial and Christian Rome. It was to Nicholas V that Alberti dedicated in 1452 the monumental theoretical result of his long study of Vitruvius . This was his De re aedificatoria (On the Art of Building), not a restored text of Vitruvius but a wholly new work. It became a bible of Renaissance architecture , for it incorporated and made advances upon the engineering knowledge of antiquity, and grounded

1539-670: The cornerstone of the national church of the Germans, Santa Maria dell'Anima , the French Cardinal Briçonnet erected Trinità dei Monti , and the Spaniards Santa Maria in Monserrato degli Spagnoli . To Alexander we owe the beautiful ceiling of Santa Maria Maggiore , in the decoration of which he employed the first gold brought from America by Columbus. In 1503 Julius II was elected pope after

1596-580: The date of Ferragosto from the 1st to 15 August – the feast day of the Assumption of Mary – so as to impose a Christian ideology onto the pre-existing celebration. The popular tradition of taking a trip during Ferragosto arose under the Fascist regime . In the second half of the 1920s, during the mid-August period, the regime organised hundreds of popular trips through the fascist leisure and recreational organisations of various corporations, and via

1653-548: The festivity was created for political reasons, the Catholic Church decided to move the festivity to 15 August, which is the Assumption of Mary allowing them to include this in the festivity. This festivity was used by Benito Mussolini to give the lower classes the possibility to visit cultural cities or go to the seaside for one to three days, from 14 August to the 16th, by creating "holiday trains" with extremely low cost tickets, for this holiday period. Food and board

1710-727: The militant Bishop of Recanati, to restore order in the Papal States . Florence at that time was the centre of literary activity, and clearly influenced the Humanist movement. During his stay in the Tuscan capital, Eugene consecrated the Florence Cathedral , just then finished by Brunelleschi. Pope Eugene IV continued in this vein in Rome, commissioning the Florentine Antonio di Pietro Averlino, known as Filarete (1400–1469), to make two bronze doors, ( imposts ), for

1767-523: The nave, and also a domed room at the intersection of the transept and choir. This configuration influenced the next plan by Bramante for a total overhaul of the building, which retained what was already built. Work began around 1450, but with the death of the Pope had no further development, and stagnated until Julius II decided for a complete reconstruction. The renewal of the Apostolic Palace

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1824-611: The one Bruno pretends to lead. Firmly rejected by his wife, whom he had not divorced years ago as expected, Bruno wakes Roberto and suggests they sleep on the beach. The next morning, on a now-crowded beach, Bruno hits on some young women, and is surprised to find one is his daughter in disguise. Taking this as a suggestion to reconnect with his lost daughter, they swim and boat together, leaving Roberto to ingratiate drinks and food on his own. Later, Bruno wins some money at ping-pong, he and Roberto drink some, then decide to return to Rome before dark. The bonding and emerging friendship between

1881-468: The papal seat back to Rome, ending its long Avignon Papacy or "Babylonian captivity", and the Papal Schism , when several "popes" simultaneously claimed the office. He at once set to work, establishing order and restoring the dilapidated churches, palaces, bridges, and other public structures. For this reconstruction he engaged some famous masters of the Tuscan school, and thus laid the foundation for

1938-596: The pillars, as in the Colosseum or in the Theatre of Marcellus . The renewal of the Constantinian Old St Peter's Basilica was assigned to Bernardo Rossellino . The body was expanded with five aisles and longitudinal cross vaults on pillars that were to incorporate the old columns. The apse was rebuilt with the expansion of the transept , a choir was added, which was the logical continuation of

1995-694: The pope turns over to Raphael", wrote an ambassador in 1518. He finished the decoration of the Stanze begun under Julius II, even referring to Leo X in some of the scenes. He painted the Raphael Cartoons for the tapestries of the Sistine Chapel, which represent scenes from the lives of Saints Peter and Paul , the most magnificent of them being St. Peter's miraculous draught of fishes and St. Paul preaching in Athens . A third famous enterprise

2052-744: The practice of workplaces closing between 25 December and the first of January. The Feriae Augusti ('Festivals [Holidays] of the Emperor Augustus ') were introduced by the Emperor Augustus in 18 BCE. This was an addition to earlier ancient Roman festivals which fell in the same month, such as the Vinalia rustica or the Consualia , which celebrated the harvest and the end of a long period of intense agricultural labor. The Feriae Augusti , in addition to its propaganda function, linked

2109-496: The present day the grand approach to St. Peter's. Though a scandalous pope, he was a patron of the arts and sciences, and in his days a new architectural era was initiated in Rome with the coming of Bramante . Raphael , Michelangelo and Pinturicchio . He commissioned Pinturicchio to lavishly paint a suite of rooms in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican, which are today known as the Borgia Apartments . In addition to

2166-494: The return of the papacy, repeatedly postponed because of the bad conditions of the city and the lack of control and security, it was first necessary to strengthen the political and doctrinal aspects of the pontiff. When, in 1377, Gregory XI did return to Rome, he found his power more formal than real. It was a city in anarchy because of the struggles between the nobility and the popular faction. There followed four decades of instability, characterized locally by power struggles between

2223-414: The sculptor Donatello , both Florentines. This inspired a corresponding classicism in painting and sculpture, which manifested itself in the paintings of Masaccio and Uccello . Pisanello and his assistants also frequently took inspiration from ancient remains, but their approach was essentially cataloguing, acquiring a repertoire of models to be exploited later. In the year 1420, Pope Martin V moved

2280-549: The setting up of the "People's Trains of Ferragosto ", which were available at discounted prices. The initiative gave the opportunity to less well-off social classes to visit Italian cities or to reach seaside and mountain resorts. The offer was limited to 13, 14 and 15 August, and comprised two options: the "One-Day Trip", within a radius of 50–100 km, and the "Three-Day Trip", within a radius of about 100–200 km. Roman Renaissance The Renaissance in Rome occupied

2337-508: The short reign of Pope Pius III . He was chiefly a soldier, and his fame is greatly due to his re-establishment of the Pontifical States and the deliverance of Italy from its subjection to France. But he also gained a reputation as a patron of the arts. Bramante, Raphael, and Michelangelo contributed some of their greatest masterpieces during his time. He laid the cornerstone of the Basilica of St. Peter on 18 April 1506, and united

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2394-585: The structures erected by himself, his memory is associated with the many others built by monarchs and cardinals at his instigation. During his reign, Bramante designed for Ferdinand II of Aragon the Tempietto di San Pietro in Montorio , on the traditional site of St. Peter's martyrdom. Bramante built for Cardinal Raffaele Riario the Palazzo della Cancelleria . In 1500, the ambassador of Emperor Maximilian laid

2451-490: The style that developed in that period in architecture is Palazzo Venezia , started in 1455, that incorporating existing buildings. The courtyard of the annexed Palazzetto is taken from Roman elements combined, but without philological rigor. It incorporates the model of the viridarium and is inspired by the Colosseum in the overlapped architectural orders, and in the cornice with ornament in brackets . The width of

2508-419: The stylistic principles of classical art into a fully developed aesthetic theory. Due to the brevity of the pontificate of Pope Nicholas V, all the ambitious projects could not be completed. However, it made artists who shared an interest in the antiquity and charm of the classic ruins converge (especially the Tuscan and Lombard ones). This led to a certain homogeneity of their work. A paradigmatic example of

2565-412: The suggestions of ancient Rome and early Christian times, but not slavish, perhaps mindful of the projects that then circulated in the papal court for the restoration of St. Peter. The figures are solid, calm and solemn, the tone was generally more stately, exemplifying the meditative artist. The Jubilee celebration of 1475 injected revenue that inspired a number of projects and allowed the Pope to draw

2622-466: The two men is cut short when, spurred on by an enlivened Roberto, Bruno attempts to overtake another car on the blind curve of a cliffside road. He swerves to avoid an oncoming truck and is thrown from the car. Roberto goes over the cliff in the car, leaving a bloodied and shocked Bruno by the side of the road. When a police officer arrives and asks Bruno about the man who went over the edge, Bruno realizes he does not even know Roberto's last name. The movie

2679-477: The various August festivals to provide a longer period of rest, called " Augustali ", which was felt necessary after the hard labour of the previous weeks. During these celebrations, horse races were organised across the empire, and beasts of burden (including oxen , donkeys and mules ), were released from their work duties and decorated with flowers. Such ancient traditions are still alive today, virtually unchanged in their form and level of participation during

2736-479: Was a first step in the decoration of the private chapel of the Pope, the Niccoline Chapel , by Fra Angelico and his assistant Benozzo Gozzoli . The decoration includes stories of St. Lawrence and St. Stephen , which were interpreted by Fra Angelico in a style rich in details, erudite, and where his "Christian humanism" is expressed in its vertices. The scenes are set in majestic architecture, born from

2793-540: Was a lover and patron of the arts and sciences, and probably did more than any pope to establish Rome as the centre of European culture. He had San Giovanni dei Fiorentini , on the Via Giulia , built, after designs by Jacopo Sansovino and pressed forward on the reconstruction of St Peter's Basilica and the Vatican under Raphael and Agostino Chigi . He encouraged painting in particular, and Raphael benefitted enormously under his patronage. "Everything pertaining to art

2850-473: Was concluded in 1482. This is also the date of the works in marble: the screen, the choir stalls, and the pontifical coat of arms over the entrance door. On 15 August 1483 Sixtus IV celebrated the first mass when the chapel was consecrated and dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The Sistine Chapel, now the seat of the most important ceremonies of the papacy, became a point of reference for Renaissance art, setting

2907-659: Was followed by the brief papacy of Pope Adrian VI , and then that of Leo's cousin Pope Clement VII from 1523. The brutal Sack of Rome in 1527, by the troops of the Emperor Charles V , brought the Roman High Renaissance to an abrupt end. Some artists were killed, and most of the rest fled to other cities, as did their patrons in the Curia . When artistic activity revived, it was mostly in

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2964-634: Was made Cardinal Deacon of San Giorgio in Velabro. At the Council of Constance he was unanimously elected pope on 11 November 1417, and took the name Martin V in honour of Martin of Tours , whose feast fell on the day of his election. King Sigismund of Germany tried to induce Martin V to stay in Germany while France begged him to come to Avignon, but, rejecting all offers, he set out for Rome on 16 May 1418. After many detours, primarily to cement relations with

3021-554: Was not included, which is why even today Italians associate packed lunches and barbecues with this day. By metonymy , it is also the summer vacation period around mid-August, which may be a long weekend ( ponte di Ferragosto ) or most of August. Until 2010, 90% of companies, shops and industries closed; however, because closing an entire country's economy for an entire month would result in serious financial impacts and workplace backlogs, most companies now close for about two weeks and require all workers to take mandatory vacation, similar to

3078-526: Was one of two highest-grossing Italian films in Italy for the year ended 30 June 1963 along with Sodom and Gomorrah . The soundtrack includes original themes by Riz Ortolani , and Italian 1960s hits such as "Saint Tropez Twist" by Peppino di Capri , " Quando, quando, quando " performed by Emilio Pericoli , "Guarda come dondolo" and "Pinne fucile ed occhiali" by Edoardo Vianello and " Vecchio frac " by Domenico Modugno . Ferragosto Ferragosto

3135-401: Was such that he was elected to the papacy on the first scrutiny. However, his papacy was destined to be a stormy one. In 1434, a revolution, fomented by the pope's enemies, broke out in Rome. Eugene escaped down the Tiber to Ostia , where the friendly Florentines were only too happy to receive him. He took up his residence in the Dominican convent of Santa Maria Novella , and sent Vitelleschi ,

3192-414: Was the continuation of the new St. Peter's. Bramante remained its chief architect until his death in 1514. Raphael succeeded him, but in his six years of office little was done, much to his regret, through lack of means. Leo X has spent all the money carefully saved by his predecessor Julius II. He sold indulgences to help pay for it, a mistake which helped lead to the Protestant Reformation . Leo's reign

3249-421: Was the decoration of the Vatican Loggia done by Raphael's pupils under his direction, and mostly from his designs. The most exquisite of his paintings are the Sistine Madonna and the Transfiguration . Sculpture was not as favored under Leo X as painting, and while Michelangelo worked on a marble façade for the Church of San Lorenzo in Florence, he did not finish it. The greatest and most difficult task

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