After loading his car with fire extinguishers, sunscreen with a high protection, body armor, and mousetraps, and hiding his wedding ring, Alberto departs for Castellabate.

After a long journey, exacerbated by a major traffic jam, in which he compares his situation to that of his brother, who fought in the Kosovo War, he arrives late at night, greeted by pouring rain.

Despite his initial trepidation, he eventually befriends postman Mattia Volpe, Maria Flagello, and constables "Grande" (meaning "Large") and "Piccolo" (meaning "Small"), and ends up appreciating the beauty and the lifestyle of the town, realising that all of the negative perceptions of the south that he held were mere prejudice.

Silvia eventually decides to visit, and Alberto is forced to admit to his friends that he lied to his wife about the south, and spoke ill of them behind their backs.

His friends initially resent him for what he did, but eventually the entire village decides to pull an elaborate ruse designed to give Silvia the impression that the south really is as bad as Alberto had been saying.