Il giorno in più

Directed by Massimo Venier, starring Fabio Volo, Isabella Ragonese, Pietro Ragusa, Stefania Sandrelli, Roberto Citran, Italy, 2001, 111’

Giacomo is stuck with Orazio, the dog he got with his girlfriend Alessandra, who has recently broken up with him. Actually, Giacomo never really wanted a pet and he reluctantly takes care of the dog. One morning, he takes Orazio to the park, where he runs into his colleague Melloni and the man’s two children. He gets rid of the dog by pretending that Orazio isn’t his and is instead a stray, taking advantage of the children’s feelings and entrusting Orazio to them.

Giacomo, played by Fabio Volo, is a diehard bachelor until one day he encounters Michela on a streetcar. They continue to meet each other every day and the man begins to think about the possibility of a long-term relationship with the girl.

Il giorno in più is loosely based on the novel of the same title written by Volo. Set in Milan, the film was actually shot in Turin: the sequence in which Giacomo is at the park with Orazio was filmed at the La Marmora gardens, located along Via Cernaia between the Porta Susa train station and Piazza Solferino.

This is also where Dario Argento shot a scene of his movie Four Flies on Grey Velvet. Marco Tullio Giordana shot a sequence of his film The Best of Youth on nearby Via Bertola.