Two not very clever young doctors open a fitness center and promise to let people lose seven kilos in seven days. When the enterprise fails they open a gourmet restaurant.

A man and his son take an allegorical stroll through life with a talking bird that spouts social and political philosophy.

In an Italian seaside town, young Titta gets into trouble with his friends and watches various local eccentrics as they engage in often absurd behavior. Frequently clashing with his stern father and defended by his doting mother, Titta witnesses the actions of a wide range of characters, from his extended family to Fascist loyalists to sensual women, with certain moments shifting into fantastical scenarios.

In 1914, a cruise ship sets sail from Naples to spread the ashes of beloved opera singer Edmea Tetua near Erimo, the isle of her birth. During the voyage, the eclectic array of passengers discovers a group of Serbian refugees aboard the vessel. Peace and camaraderie abound until the ship is descended upon by an Austrian flagship. The Serbians are forced to board it, but naturally they resist, igniting a skirmish that ends in destruction.

During a trip to Rome, a debauched Shakespearian actor is tormented by the Italian film industry, fans, the press and the Devil, who appears as a little girl seeking to collect his head.