Marco meets an odd, quirky man named Temistocle Mario Orimbelli (Ugo Tognazzi), a womanizing liar who has led a colorful life, being involved in the Italian-Abyssinian War of 1935-36, and later following the advancing Allied armies from Napoli to Milan, finally settling as the husband of Cleofe Berlusconi, an aging, rich woman, who resents his laziness and his weakness of character.