Bread and Tulips is a 2000 romance comedy film directed by Italian film director Silvio Soldini. The movie stars Licia Maglietta and Bruno Ganz as Rosalba Barletta and Fernando Girasole. The film was an official selection at numerous film festivals, including the Cannes Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival.

Plot

Rosalba Barletta, a Neapolitan-born housewife from Pescara, Italy, finds herself stranded during a family vacation. Instead of waiting for her controlling and unfaithful husband, she hitchhikes her way home, only to impulsively detour to Venice. In the lagoon city, the woman, who soon runs out of money, finds accommodations with a restaurant maître d'hôtel, Fernando Girasole, an elderly man from Iceland who speaks a refined and literary Italian. Rosalba finds herself enjoying her new life: she strikes up an affectionate friendship with the holistic masseuse Grazia, Fernando's neighbour, and finds a job at a small flower shop run by Fermo, an elderly and ill-tempered anarchist who is won over by the woman's polite ways.

Awards