It was only a silly incident, really, even something you might laugh about later, once back home. Yet, in that split-second realization that the excursion bus had actually left without her, and that not even her husband or two children had noticed she was missing from the group, suddenly becomes for Rosalba the irresistible open door to this fantastic adventure and bubbling comedy.

Life's greatest turning points often come in the plainest forms. A casual encounter, a little "oversight" (like forgetting her?), a strange coincidence, a twist of fate. Not that Rosalba had ever given it much thought, really, over the years of silent dedication and sacrifice as housewife and mother, where she, as a person, had gradually disappeared without a trace, smothered by the demands of her family. Nor had it ever occurred to her to even question it -- that is, until that very moment, standing there, ridiculously forgotten by the side of the motorway ...

Rosalba's real self, however, is far from deal, and in fact, she is already starting to tingle with bold and giddy light-heartedness. Maybe she'll even hitch a ride to Venice - Venice the fabulous City of her dreams. Rosalba's one-day spree extends to a few days, then weeks, as her new-found freedom and self-discovery lures her deeper and deeper into an exciting, merry new life in a strange and mad universe that offers her friendship, tenderness, tremendous laughs and even love.

She finds a job in a florist's shop run by a hopeless anarchist, lives with a mysterious man from Iceland who speaks in epic verse, finds a joyous accomplice in a holistic masseuse, and is reunited with her great passion for music and the accordion. Indeed, her love for the accordion, the instrument of nomads par excellence, bursts forth with all of Rosalba's natural sensuality and fun-loving joy, as she courageously asserts, against an existence of routine, convenience and security, her own unconquerable thirst and passion for a life of true meaning.

"The title of my film comes from a slogan by American textile workers during a strike when they said: 'Souls, just like bodies, can die of hunger. Give us bread but give us roses too!' Instead of roses, I preferred tulips which, a thousand years ago, filled the gardens of sultans" Silvio Soldini

Silvio Soldini was born and grew up in Milan. In 1979 he moved to New York where he studied filmmaking at New York University.

Upon returning to Milan in 1982, he came into contact with others who shared his enthusiasm for film (among whom Luca Bigazzi, who has been director of photography for all of his films) and, with this group, he made two low budget self-produced films of medium length: PAESAGGIO CON FIGURE and GIULIA IN OTTOBRE which both received recognition at various national and international festivals.

In 1984, with his closest collaborators, he created the production company Monogatari, with which he has produced all of his films.

In 1985 with VOCI CELATE, a video shot in a day hospital for the mentally ill, which was winner at the Salsomaggiore Festival competition, he also began his activity in the documentary field. In 1989 he made his first feature film for theatre distribution: L'ARIA SERENA DELL'OVEST, which was enthusiastically received by the public. The film was presented in competition at the Festival of Locarno, it won the Grolla d'Oro award for Best Screenplay in Saint-Vincent, the Grand Prix at the Festival of Annecy, and was invited to numerous international festivals (Montreal, Rotterdam, "New Directors" at New York's MOMA, etc.).

The year 1993 marked his second feature film, UN'ANIMA DIVISA IN DUE, presented in competition at the Venice Film Festival and which won the Volpi Cup for Best Leading Actor with Fabrizio Bentivoglio.

In 1979 he made LE ACROBATE, a feature film presented in competition at the Festival of Locarno as well as the San Francisco International Film Festival. It received the First Prize at the Rencontres Internationales de Cinema of Paris.

Filmography:
medium-length & short films:
1982 DRIMAGE
1983 PAESAGGIO CON FIGURE
1985 GIULIA IN OTTOBRE
1988 ANTONIO E CLEO (Episode: "Provvisorio Quasi d'amore")
1992 FEMMINE, FOLLE E POLVERE D'ARCHIVIO
1994 FATE IN BLU DIESIS — Video
1994 D'ESTATE ("Miracoli" series, stories for shorts)
1997 DIMENTICARE BIASCA — Video
Documentaries:
1986 VOCI CELATE, video
1987 LA FABBRICA SOSPESA
1991 MUSICHE BRUCIANO, video
1995 FRAMMENTI DI UNA STORIA TRA CINEMA E PERIFERIA, video
1996 MADE IN LOMBARDIA, video
1997 CASA COSE CITTA' (of the series "Alfabeto Italiano"), video
1998 IL FLTTURO ALLE SPALLE — Voci da un'etä inquiesta, video
1999 ROM TOUR, video
Features
1990 L'ARIA SERENA DELL 'OVEST
1993 UN'ANT[VIA DIVISA IN DUE
1996 LE ACROBATE
1999 PANE E TULIPANI / BREAD AND TULIPS