Sale e Tabacchi

New York mafioso, Antoni Pugliano, cousin and right hand man to notoriously s brutal mob boss Il Cinghiale, is sent to the family’s ancestral hometown assigned to establish European connections in the old country. Antoni arrives in the small Tuscan village of Piovasco prepared to take whatever steps necessary in order to carry out the Don’s wishes.

Faced quickly with the realization that his understanding of Italian culture has been muddled by the wild Americana of New York life and is surface level at best, Antoni comes to accept that his family stateside places a different value on the bonds of blood than his relations living simple, fulfilling lives in Italy. 

Antoni makes the decision to give up his life of crime and the job Il Cinghiale assigned him, trading in his guns and garrotes for a mezzaluna and taking up work with his Tuscan family, exercising his love for cooking by learning the recipes and stories passed down through generations of true Puglianos. 

When the Don himself arrives for dinner, he’s welcomed by the familia with open arms, but to Antoni it’s clear that he’s come with only cruel intentions.

Directed by Federico August, 1998.