Sua Eccellenza si fermò a mangiare

In Rome in the early 1930s, a clever con artist Totò impersonates Dr. Biagio Tanzarella, Mussolini’s personal physician, to blackmail Ernesto, Ugo Tognazzi, an unfaithful husband.

Ernesto’s wife, Silvia, is beautiful and charming but aloof, which fuels his resentment and leads him into a discreet affair with Lauretta, Lauretta Masiero, whom he perceives as more easygoing and desirable. Lauretta grows furious when she discovers that Ernesto’s wife is younger and prettier than she is.

Silvia’s mother, Countess Bernabei, Lia Zoppelli, invites the phony doctor to her country estate where a Minister of State is to be the guest for the inauguration of a monument to a minor local celebrity. She hopes to use her influence with both the Minister and the Doctor to advance Ernesto’s career, perhaps securing a government post.

The false doctor initially declines the invitation but changes his mind when he learns that the banquet will feature a set of solid-gold tableware chiseled by Benvenuto Cellini. He arrives with Lauretta, presenting her as his wife to deter Ernesto from exposing the ruse.

During their stay, a tangled web of lies gives rise to a rich array of comedic situations as the characters navigate mistaken identities and the Doctor’s relentless scheme to steal the gold tableware.

It is revealed that the Minister once tried to seduce Lauretta in a train carriage years earlier, only to suffer an embarrassing sexual defaillance.

In the end the impostor walks away with the loot, aided by a fake phone call from The Duce himself; Ernesto and Silvia reconcile, rekindling their marriage, while the Minister elevates Ernesto to a high government post and makes up for his earlier failed romance with Lauretta.

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 14:04