The Cesaronis

Giulio Cesaroni and Lucia Cudicini, he a widower, she separated, meet again after twenty years in Rome. They realize they still love each other and decide to get married, so Lucia's daughters, Eva and Alice, arrive from Milan and move in with the Cesaronis. Getting to know Marco, Rudi and Mimmo, Giulio's sons, is not easy and things are also complicated by uncle Cesare, Giulio's brother, and his jealousy. Sergio wants Lucia to get back together with him, but after her ex refuses, the ruthless manager goes to Giulio's liquor store and threatens to take away his future wife, daughters and job. Giulio acts on impulse and doesn't hesitate to punch him, so Sergio, with the complicity of a doctor friend, makes the Cesaronis believe he is dying.

Lucia discovers Sergio's deception and Giulio, having escaped danger, immerses himself once again in the preparations: he wants his wedding party to be unforgettable for the entire neighborhood. Unfortunately, finances are languishing and Giulio finds himself entangled with a financial company and forced to lie to Lucia. The latter, having discovered her future husband's lies, decides to punish him to teach him a lesson. Giulio, in an excess of romanticism, leads Lucia to the place where twenty years before he had made love to her for the first time, but unfortunately he gets the wrong place. Lucia, with a deadly pressure, manages to make Giulio confess: the other, the accused girl, was Stefania, now Ezio's wife. Lucia punishes her friend by wrecking her car.

After a meeting with the school psychologist, Giulio tries to imitate Lucia in his relationship with his children, who are worried about their father's change. Meanwhile, Lucia feels lost when Eva confides in her that she intends to make love for the first time with her boyfriend and has a tough fight with her daughter. There is tension in the Cesaroni household. Lucia is so busy with work and household chores that Giulio hasn't been able to have a moment of intimacy with her for several days. Meanwhile, Marco has a fight with Lucia, guilty of having taken the guitar from the closet that reminds the boy of his deceased mother. However, things smooth out and Marco starts playing again.

Marco and Giulio have a tough fight over the young man's decision to become a musician. Meanwhile, Lucia receives a beautiful necklace as a gift from an anonymous admirer. The woman thinks that the gift was given to Giulio and when she discovers that the necklace actually came from her admirer Andrea, she flies into a rage. Don Gervasio, the president of the Romulana, the neighborhood soccer team, dies suddenly, so Cesare and Andrea run for the succession. The innkeeper, thanks to Ezio's help, becomes the new president but, for the good of the team, gives up his place to the wealthier rival. The latter, after another attempt to seduce Lucia, receives Giulio's violent congratulations.

Rudi takes part in a psychological test and the result, to everyone's surprise, is that the boy is a genius. Giulio, enthusiastic, does everything to satisfy his son's needs and stimulate his intelligence. Alice, suspicious, discovers that the Leonardo da Vinci of Garbatella copied the answers. Lucia convinces Rudi to confess and the father's punishment is not long in coming. Marco seems increasingly strange and it is now clear to everyone that he is in love. However, no one suspects that the lucky girl is Eva. Meanwhile, Sergio shows up at the Cesaroni house and, on the verge of being named Cavaliere del Lavoro by the President of the Republic, he would like to take advantage of the opportunity to embarrass Giulio and win Lucia back.

Giulio must serve a two-match suspension as the Romulan coach following a heated argument with a referee and is forced to ask Ezio to replace him on the field. Meanwhile, little Mimmo is struggling with a difficult assignment for him: an essay about his mother. The child, who remembers nothing about Marta, his dead mother, asks his father and brothers for news. Marco learns that Eva is going to London for a weekend and would like to accompany her, so he tries to scrape together the necessary money and his uncle Cesare finds him a job as a liscio player with a small orchestra of over-sixty year olds in a club. Meanwhile, Ezio, because of a prank by Giulio and his brother, argues with Stefania and leaves home.

The end of the holidays seems to bring some news to the Cesaroni household: Lucia, suffering from strange ailments, fears she is pregnant and tries to talk to Giulio who, misunderstanding, believes that Stefania is expecting a child. Marco, meanwhile, has resumed his relationship with Rachele. Cesare confesses to Giulio and Ezio the reason for his breakup with Pamela: he is a virgin and did not have the courage to reveal it to his fiancée. The two, to help Cesare, send him to a prostitute, but Pamela surprises him and misunderstands the situation.

The innkeeper Giulio Cesaroni and his family are dealing with the terrible new neighbors, who moved from Padua: the Barilons. Meanwhile Marco, who has broken up with Rachele, tries to get closer to Eva. The girl, however, is not at all well disposed. Giulio is worried because his wife Lucia is not getting pregnant. After having tried the unlikely treatments proposed by Cesare and Ezio without obtaining results, the innkeeper asks his friend Ezio to be a donor for artificial insemination.

Lucia, taken by the sacred fire of art, enrolls in a theater course together with Stefania but Giulio, influenced by Ezio's worries, becomes jealous. The career of the new actress, however, does not last long. Cesare accidentally hits Barilon's dog with his van. Giulio and Ezio are convinced that the innkeeper killed a tax inspector and plan to report him to the police. Alice babysits her friend Umberto's brother.

Ezio seems to have lost the sexual connection with his wife, so much so that he falls asleep during their intimate moments. Lucia, against Giulio's wishes, gives her friend a hand so that he can be forgiven by his wife, but Ezio misunderstands. There will soon be a dance competition. Giulio and Lucia, unbeknownst to each other, take tango lessons but, while Lucia, thanks also to the skill of her partner Barilon, makes great progress, her husband is clearly in difficulty.

Giulio and Lucia leave to spend a weekend of absolute relaxation in the countryside. Unfortunately for them, however, their vacation is disturbed by the presence of the Barilons, guests of the same agriturismo. In Rome, meanwhile, Stefania does everything she can to adopt a child, while Marco and Eva organize a party together with Walter without their parents' knowledge. Giulio, to impress his friends Ezio and Cesare, makes up a story: he says he kissed the model Alena Seredova. Together with Lucia, Giulio surprises Marco and Eva in bed together. The story causes him to have a heart attack.

Giulio is in the hospital, cared for by the loving Lucia. Ezio and Cesare do everything they can for their friend, getting into all sorts of trouble, while the little Cesaronis blame themselves, believing they are responsible for what happened. The crisis is overcome and the innkeeper can return to the affection of his loved ones. Marco and Eva apologize to their father for what happened, but this time, being forgiven will not be easy. There is tension in the Cesaroni household over Marco and Eva's affair. While they are waiting for Giulio to return from the hospital, the two young people are wondering about the future of their relationship: Eva is considering dropping out of school.

Giulio and Lucia Cesaroni organize the ritual barbecue that marks the end of summer. Among those in attendance are Giulio's ever-present brother, mechanic Ezio Masetti, and his wife Stefania, a friend of Lucia's and the principal of the school where they both teach. Lucia's mother, Gabriella, is also present, of course, while the youngest member of the family, Mimmo, remarks that this year the doors to middle school are opening for him. Alice and Rudi, always a cat and dog, are instead opening up the far more terrifying doors of high school! Their eldest children, Marco and Eva, are far away: he studies music in Milan, while she's in New York majoring in journalism and living with her chef boyfriend, Alex. Their friend Walter, Stefania and Enzo's son, has remained hanging around Garbatella, drooling over Carlotta, his beautiful girlfriend from the upper-middle classes.

Giulio takes a dislike to Tamara, whose unusual habits have disrupted the Cesaroni household and, more importantly, driven his son Marco away from expensive music school. He also discovers she isn't even his girlfriend. Lucia tries to mediate, but the situation becomes untenable, and Marco is forced to ask Walter for help: can they rehearse the pieces they're preparing for their date with Criscuolo in his warehouse apartment, among Cesare's demijohns of wine and Barilon's plants? Cesare and Lucia are very worried: they've had the same nightmare, which they interpreted as a grim omen. Lucia is worried about her daughter Eva, who has been responding curtly or not contacting her at all for days. The girl actually returned from New York in a state of confusion but hasn't informed anyone in the family. She's staying with her friend Carlotta, to whom, however, she hasn't revealed the real reason for her return to Rome.

Finally safe within the walls of the Cesaroni household, Eva calmly reflects on the last difficult period: the terrible scene Alex made, her sudden departure from New York, her return to Rome. Carlotta seems intent on finding her a new boyfriend, while she herself dawdles without much concern for Walter. Eva tries to give herself some perspective by studying for the university entrance exam. Mimmo philosophizes about strength and cunning, observing his father Giulio's crisis, as he fears being supplanted by the vigor of his eldest son, Marco. Ezio makes matters worse by proposing a generational bowling challenge with his son Walter and Marco as opponents. Matilde, who witnesses the match, suggests her stepfather bribe the two boys who are overwhelmingly winning against Giulio, Cesare and Ezio, once known as the "Garballeros," the champions of Garbatella, with some vile money.

Rudi is worried about Ulrico's reported attack and enlists the help of the high school janitor, Son-sei, a crippled martial arts instructor. Marco seems to have his big break with Criscuolo: a prime-time debut on a show hosted by Pippo Baudo! At the last minute, however, the record producer announces that he will have to replace one of the missing musicians from the well-known band he promoted, Cugini di Campagna. Disgusted and disappointed, Marco refuses. To improve his relationship with Matilde, Cesare has decided to buy a new, larger house. The girl will start school, and her teacher will be none other than Lucia. Giulio urges his brother not to embarrass Matilde when he drops her off the next day: for once, she should dress appropriately.

Marco, feeling neglected by Criscuolo, decides to leave. However, the record producer warns him that if the musician terminates his contract, he will have to pay a penalty of thirty thousand euros, representing the expenses he has incurred up to that point for his promotion. And, to spite him, he entrusts him with the task of creating the jingle for a toilet paper commercial. Lucia points out to Giulio that it's partly his fault: Marco, before signing the contract, had asked his father for his opinion. Eva gets an opportunity: she's called to the editorial office of the trendiest magazine of the moment, the famous Up To You. She's welcomed by Cinzia, assistant to the newspaper's fearsome editor, Iva Zavattini, who never shows up in the editorial office. In such a competitive environment, the apprenticeship is brutal: Eva is tasked with organizing the archives.

Lucia and Stefania, longtime friends and rivals, this time compete to see who has the best husband. Unbeknownst to either of them, they draw up a list of four subjects to compete on: willingness to help, post-love cuddles, attention to detail, and finally, romance. The battle is fierce, and despite their promises not to cheat, Lucia is the first to be unfair! Eva's first article is published and gets some attention, at least in the Cesaroni household. Marco congratulates her and invites her to listen to him at Franco's club, where his songs are having great success. Walter goes to pick up his friend, but at the last minute Eva, feeling unwell, cancels, citing too much work.

About a year has passed in the lives of the Cesaroni family and their friends from Garbatella: Marco and Eva have just returned from the X Tour with little Marta, who is everyone's joy. Rudi, Alice, Budino, Jolanda, Lorenzo, and Regina return from vacation, struggling with adolescence. And Carlotta also rejoins Eva and Walter's lives.

After two weeks of heated discussions and arguments, the crisis between Giulio and Lucia hasn't subsided. The two have decided to separate. Giulio acts calm, but it's just a facade. He begins to have a crisis and decides to seek therapy from Emma, the sister of Olga, the wedding planner for Cesare's wedding. Things are also getting tough for Ezio: he argues with Walter, who wanted to repair a motorcycle at the shop.

Giulio, in the midst of therapy, is still suffering. Furthermore, he believes Ezio and Cesare are ignoring him, but they are only doing so for his own good. After going to Venice with her mother, Alice returns to start school again. At class, Rudi meets a new student: Miriam, Olga's daughter. Mimmo also meets Andy, the wedding planner's other son.

Marco and Eva, who have decided to stay at the Cesaroni house to help Giulio, are unable to sleep because of Marta's crying, as she's teething. Alice, on the other hand, has met a wonderful boy and would like to make love to him, but she's not ready yet. Walter, who had lent her the house, is relieved.

Giulio's moment of truth has arrived with Lucia. A new traffic cop is terrifying everyone in Garbatella: it's Germana. She's decided to return to her job after Barilon's shop goes into crisis. Ezio and Cesare decide to sabotage her, but something goes wrong. Ezio can't sell the shop, but Barilon has the right idea, and the two become partners.

After meeting Lucia, Giulio is officially separated and out of therapy. He decides to celebrate by going camping with Ezio and Cesare, but Barilon, feeling left out, plans to sabotage his outing. Gabriella, who blames Giulio for the end of her marriage to Lucia, never sets foot in the Cesaroni household again, but she misses everyone and pretends to be ill to have them around again.

Lucia has remained in Rome to organize an exhibition of young emerging painters, and Ezio, convinced that she wants to win Giulio back, hatches a plan to bring the two back together. When the innkeeper convinces himself he's got a second chance with his ex-wife, the truth hits him like a cold shower. Rudi returns from vacation convinced he's forgotten Miriam, and Alice is filled with hope that his feelings will be reciprocated. Ezio decides to buy Walter's former garage, and to do so, he ends up gambling away the Cesaroni wine shop, pitting himself against a biker gang. Marco, thanks to Lucia's support, finds the courage to tell Giulio the truth about his relationship with Eva. Meanwhile, he and Maya are at loggerheads, so much so that the young Cesaroni does everything he can to make her look bad to her family.

Ezio and Cesare, certain they're in contact with aliens, become convinced the world is about to end and decide to steal a submarine to save themselves from the Great Flood. For Giulio, however, the most important thing is to make a good impression on Lucia. While Alice and Rudi grow increasingly cold, Diego meets Miriam, and they immediately fall in love. Giulio finds himself dealing with a young suitor who, because of Ezio and Cesare's intervention, threatens to report him in revenge for being rejected. Lucia's intervention brings the girl to her senses, and Giulio, happy at his newfound connection with his ex-wife, can only be stunned when she announces she's about to return to Venice.

Giulio, Cesare, and Ezio clash with Stefania and Lucia over the assignment of the former Barilon store, where the men want to open a Roma Club and the women a bookstore. In a clash where the ends justify the means, Giulio, seeing the bookstore as a reason for Lucia to stay in Rome, boycotts his friends. Cesare discovers he has a son, the result of a sperm donation he made in his youth. However, things aren't as they seem, and this time, Cesare's enthusiasm will suffer the consequences. To finance their fashion project, Alice and Jolanda decide to find work as waiters, which is how they meet Francesco.

Ezio decides to buy an old Alfa Romeo Arna, so he convinces Cesare and Giulio to take a trip to Sicily to pick up the car. Fueled by Cesare's prejudices against the island, the three become convinced they're staying with a mafia family. Meanwhile, Lucia is forced to confront her jealousy: seeing Giulio in a costume on the front page of a neighborhood calendar is quite disturbing to her.

Cesare is convinced that Flaminio Maphia plagiarized a rap song he composed in his youth with Giulio and Ezio and their group, "The Gladiators." To prove to everyone that the current hit, "Rome by Night," is his creation, he decides to reunite the band. Giulio and Ezio, however, are too rusty to play, and Cesare decides to fend for himself. Ezio, Giulio, and Cesare decide to kidnap Lucia so that Giulio can prove his courage by saving her and at the same time cast a bad light on Fabrizio, Lucia's boyfriend. The mechanic's plan, however, goes awry, and the three end up in a world of trouble. Alice and Jolanda, despite initial difficulties, receive an order for their clothing.

Giulio receives a court summons for separation and decides it's time to forget Lucia. Fate, however, intervenes, and the two reunite in Maremma to help Ezio. Maya, listening to the song Marco wrote for Nathalie, discovers a new facet of love. Mimmo seeks comfort in prayer to ease the pain of love, but Ezio is convinced that the boy's destiny is to become a saint. Francesco, Jolanda, Rudi, and the others organize a surprise party for Alice's eighteenth birthday, but she ruins her friends' plans by leaving for Milan.

A new family arrives at the Cesaronis' home: Sofia with her three children, Nina, Irene, and Ivan. The woman is an old acquaintance, having lived in Garbatella twenty years earlier, and there's a secret between her and Giulio that threatens to upend the Cesaronis' lives.

Giulio doesn't give up and tries to rekindle his relationship with Annibale by offering him a share in the wine shop. Sofia has a secret: she's moved to Rome because she suffers from a serious heart condition and must undergo experimental treatments.

All the Cesaronis rally around Francesco in the hospital after a serious accident. Alice, distraught with guilt, wishes she could be by his side and help him. The Cesaronis must come to terms with another shocking piece of news: Annibale, their fourth brother, is gay. Meanwhile, Sofia goes to a job interview in L'Aquila and discovers that her children aren't exactly what she expected.

Alice and Francesco, both wheelchair-bound, are taken in by the Cesaroni household. The situation isn't great, and tensions between her, him, and Rudi threaten to explode at any moment. Annibale becomes embroiled in the Cesaronis' and Stefania's problems: he must help Cesare, who doesn't trust Augusto and fears he might steal money from the liquor store, and Stefania, who must track down Ezio.

Sofia offers to accompany Nina to Rimini to meet Federico, and once they're alone, she takes advantage of the situation to confess that she spent a night of love with Giulio in her youth, but she doesn't tell her she's his daughter. The innkeeper is hesitant to tell Nina he's her father, but Annibale dissuades him.

Marco returns home and discovers that Francesco and Alice have broken up because of her infidelity. To impress Irene, Mimmo offers to help her with her physics homework, but the plan backfires, and when he has to retrieve the originals from the teachers' room, he's forced to ask Rudi for help. Irene becomes increasingly fascinated by the older Cesaroni.