The Minestrone

Digital television is wonderful thing.

Without it there would be no chance of seeing all but forgotten films from the last 40 years of Italian cinema.

'Villa Borghese', 'Stazione Termini', 'Pollo Ruspante', superb!

Last night was the turn of Il Minestrone from 1981 featuring Roberto Benigni playing the Maestro.

In short, Il Maestro is a master non payer of restaurant bills in the greater Rome area.

He bumps into two friends down on their luck in jail and agrees to let them in on the scam.

It almost goes horribly wrong as the restaurant owner locks the osteria door and puts the key in his pocket to keep out a stray dog previously befriended by Il Maestro's table companions.

What does go wrong is that the three sleep off the evening 'hobo' style in a parked train carriage. They wake up the following morning in Poggibonsi with not a restaurant in sight.

Walking the country roads Il Maestro reels off the perfect Tuscan menu which is the soul of the film.

“Toscana… Toscana….terra di bistecche alla fiorentina, carne alla griglia, piena di salsicce, tutta roba alla brace. Toscana… e i fagioli al fiasco? Pensate delle donne si alzano che ancora è notte prendono questi fagioli che sono stati minimo dodici ore a mollo li mettono in un fiasco spaiato con un po’ d’acqua, poi ci mettono l’olio bono, la salvia, aglio erbe, odori e lo tappano con l’ovatta…poi lo mettono sulla brace per tre quattro ore, piano…piano. Prima ancora che i fagioli siano cotti assorbono l’olio… blrublrublrubrlu… poi prima ancora che siano cottiaggiungono ancora un po’ d’olio, sale, pepe e…pepe”

They should have left it there, but the film ends with the three in a run down Tuscany farmhouse encouraging a wizened 90 year old to rustle up a pasta.

Bizzarely, Il Maestro discovers he has a tortoise under his jacket collar and the old lady is inspired to cook it.

Too much for a Tuscan DOC like Benigni and the three scarper.