During WWII in Italy, a wine-producing village hides a million bottles from the Germans

Bombolini is a fairly-worthless drunk in the small Italian town of Santa Vittoria in the closing days of World War II. When word comes that the Fascist government has surrendered, he climbs a water tower to tear down the flag. He can't get down and someone gets the crowd to chant his name to give him confidence. The Fascist town council hears this and believes that he is the town's new leader. They surrender to him and make him the new mayor. He rises to the occasion and when he finds that the Germans plan to occupy his town and take their wine (over a million bottles), he works out a plan to hide it.—John Vogel <[email protected]>

In 1943, the deposition of Benito Mussolini seemingly has little emotional effect on the largely-uneducated peasant citizenry of the small Italian town of Santa Vittoria--except for a politically-aware young man named Fabio de la Romagna who considers him a tyrant, and the pro-Mussolini forces of the grand council who can see the inevitable writing on the wall of what will imminently happen throughout Italy. The council appoints Italo Bombolini, largely seen as a drunkard and a buffoon--even by his exasperated, outspoken, forthright wife Rosa, as mayor to deal with whatever happens next; unaware of the entire situation, he happily accepts. They learn that the Nazis are beginning to occupy most Italian towns; they're making their way to Santa Vittoria to pillage it of its emotional heart and economic soul: its 1 million bottles of wine. Largely devised by Carlo Tufa, an injured Italian soldier who deserted and the town is collectively hiding, Bombolini decides, with the entire town's support, to hide most of the wine proverbially in plain sight, setting aside a small fraction for the Nazis to "discover." Thus begins a battle of wits between Captain Sepp Von Prum, the Commanding Officer of the Nazi forces in Santa Vittoria, who believes Bombolini isn't being forthright about the town's assets, especially the wine; and Bombolini who, despite the hopes and prayers of the townsfolk resting largely on his shoulders, begins to doubt his abilities as mayor in protecting them from the Nazis. Educated, elegant Caterina Malatesta, who nursed Tufa with the result that the two have fallen in love, catches Von Prum's eye and thus could be used as a pawn in the proceedings; she's well aware of the tenuousness of the situation for anything long-term happening between herself and Tufa.—Huggo

In a small town, everyone is trying to hide every drop of their precious wine from thieves who are planning to enter the town and steal the wine. All of the citizens of the town defends the town to the best of their abilities and protect the one thing that is valuable to them.—RECB3