As Franco Migliacci wakes up after his hangover, he sees the poster he bought of Chagall's famous blue painting, and starts writing some lyrics. Later on he gets together with Mimmo, and has to be cajoled into showing him what he has written.

Three months have passed, and Mimmo and Riccardo are still trying to find the right lyrics for the song. Their frustration comes to the surface and the song risks going up in smoke.

In the middle of the night, Mimmo finally comes up with the refrain to the song that would become famous the world over. He can't curb his enthusiasm and calls Franco and Gramitto, even though it's three in the morning.

When Franca comes home after her day on set, she finds Mimmo asleep on the couch surrounded by sheets of music paper. She has some news for him. He goes to Milan to meet with Gramitto who has always been skeptical about the new song ever taking off.

It's New Year's Eve and Mimmo and Franca celebrate with friends. As promised, Mimmo gets some concert clothes from the Sanremo festival. And then, the big day arrives and Domenico finds himself in the midst of already famous artists.

Franco Migliaccio is filled with pessimism and Johnny Dorelli is filled with fear, but Mimmo is feeling very sure of himself at the Sanremo Festival.

Mimmo and Franca have a relaxing moment by the sea. Franca has some important news for him.

The big night arrives and we, along with so many watching him on black and white TV, finally hear the song in Modugno's performance at Sanremo. It was a moment of great pride and optimism for Italy.

The winner of Sanremo is announced, and the news travels fast. The winning song makes Italians feel optimistic after the terrible war and postwar periods.

Domenico Modugno goes to New York City, where he sees his song has taken over. It made history all over the world.

When someone dies, it's not always easy to find the words to express sympathy, especially in a language not your own. Marika has some tips.

There are two words for condolences in Italian: condoglianze, which was covered in part 1 and cordoglio, covered in the present video. Marika also talks about the Italian custom of posting bills or posters announcing the death of someone in the community.

While providing us with some Christmas vocabulary, Marika explains a bit about how Christmas works in Italy.

How to exchange greetings at Christmastime? What is the Italian equivalent of Christmas cookies? Marika helps us out with some good words and expressions to know.

You never know when you will be celebrating the new year with Italian friends. Here is some vocabulary that will be useful to you.

Many of us have worried about our weight at some point or we have friends or family members in that situation. Marika gives us some essential vocabulary for navigating the world of diet and nutrition.

Did you know there are two different words for "snack" in Italian? Find out about this and more in this second and final video about diet vocabulary with Marika.

If you go to Italy, you will want to know where to go to buy the things you need. Marika is here to tell you all about i supermercati (supermarkets) and other stores.

This documentary about the life of Vittorio De Sica, Italian actor and film director, is narrated by Marco Paolini. We begin during the occupation by the Nazis. Vittorio is in Rome shooting a film.

Vittorio De Sica did different kinds of movies, both as an actor, and a director, and had great success, although critics appreciated his comedies more than his serious movies. Whatever kind of film he was directing, he laughed and cried along with the actors. They loved him.

When the Americans bombed Rome in 1943, Maria was shooting a film in the San Lorenzo area, right where the freight yards were, the target of the bombing. Vittorio, on the other side of town, rushed to the site. Life would soon become extremely complicated and dangerous for those in the film industry.

Vittorio De Sica, along with other filmmakers and actors, does not want to be transferred to Venice, as has been mandated by the State. There, he would have to shoot propaganda movies for the Fascists. Luckily a Catholic film company wants to make a movie about a train of sick and deformed people on their way to seek miracles at the shrine of Our Lady of Loreto, a popular pilgrimage destination in the Marches region. The kind of train that carries pilgrims is called un treno bianco (a white train).

Our narrator describes what it was like working on the set of La porta del cielo (the Gates of Heaven): the extras, the dangers, the boredom, and the strategies for keeping the cast and crew safe. He also explains how they reconstructed the railway carriages that are featured so prominently in the film.

To recreate the environment of the San Loreto church, the Basilica of St Paul's Outside the Walls was used for the final scene of the film. The crew was accustomed to working in a non-religious setting where they could do as they liked, so it was a full-time job trying to keep their bad habits (such as smoking) in check so they wouldn't get kicked out by their hosts.