An Italian in America 1967

Invitation to New York

Giuseppe Marossi, working at a Gulf gas station in Viterbo, receives an invitation from an American TV producer to travel to New York and reunite with his long-lost father on a This Is Your Life–style show. He eagerly accepts the chance to finally meet the man who disappeared from his life years ago.

The on-air reunion

In New York, Giuseppe shares a joyous on-air reunion with Lando, who has become a wealthy businessman in America. The moment is celebratory, but it marks the start of a cross-country road trip to inspect Lando's supposed properties.

Cross-country road trip begins

Giuseppe and Lando embark on a nationwide drive to visit various properties and investments. What starts as a dream of wealth quickly reveals that many sites are illusory or failed.

Lando's true nature revealed

It becomes clear that Lando is a swindler and gambler who used the show to raise money for mob creditors. His manipulations unsettle Giuseppe and threaten the planned carefree life.

Las Vegas confrontation

Giuseppe experiences a violent confrontation with mobsters in Las Vegas; he is beaten, while Lando escapes with Giuseppe's money and his return ticket to Italy. The deception reaches a dramatic peak.

Return to search for his father

After the betrayal, Giuseppe travels to Memphis to find Lando's home and learns that it is empty. The search marks a turning point in his quest for family and truth.

A new connection across the street

Across the street from Lando's empty home, a general store and gas station are managed by Lando's wife's sister, who becomes involved with Giuseppe. The proximity of the two families fuels the budding plot.

Romance blossoms

Giuseppe and Lando's wife's sister fall in love, offering a glimmer of personal happiness separate from his quest for his father. Their relationship provides a quieter counterpoint to the earlier chaos.

The reality behind the wealth

The two young lovers discover that Lando's properties and investments were illusory or failed, undermining the dream of wealth that brought Giuseppe to America. The couple must face the consequences of Lando's deception.

Choosing a new life

With his hopes for a father figure dashed, Giuseppe begins to build a life closer to home, symbolized by pumping gas at a Gulf station near the Mississippi River, suggesting a slower, grounded future.

The final image of Giuseppe

The film closes on Giuseppe standing at the gas pump with an American woman by his side, signaling a determined, independent path away from his father's shadow.