Character Relationship Map: Macaroni

Characters

• Antonio Jasiello (played by Marcello Mastroianni) — protagonist

  Antonio Jasiello is one of the people whose disappearance abruptly changes Robert Traven’s departure from Naples. A telephone call reports that he and Giulio Jasiello are missing, prompting Robert to...

• Robert Traven (played by Jack Lemmon) — protagonist

  Robert Traven is an American McDonnell Douglas executive and successful engineer who arrives in Naples to negotiate an Aeritalia management agreement. His wartime connection to the city, long correspo...

• Laura Di Falco (played by Daria Nicolodi) — supporting

  Laura Di Falco is Aeritalia’s public-relations representative and Robert Traven’s principal organizer during his visit. She arranges his meetings, press conference, and dinner, later tells him that hi...

• Giulio Jasiello (played by Bruno Esposito) — supporting

  Giulio Jasiello is involved in the family gathering where he discusses a recording opportunity with French producers and the money it could bring. His later disappearance, reported together with Anton...

• Pasqualino (played by Fabio Tenore) — supporting

  Pasqualino is remembered within the family as a man who survived two episodes believed to be fatal. He dresses as a monk out of gratitude for these apparent resurrections, and his story, told during R...

• la portiera (played by Maria Luisa Santella) — supporting

  La portiera is the person who delivers the alarming news that Antonio Jasiello and Giulio Jasiello have disappeared. Crying during the telephone call, she becomes the immediate link between the crisis...

• Maria (played by Giovanna Sanfilippo) — minor

  Maria is the recipient of Robert Traven’s letters, which he began sending in 1946 while she was grieving. Although she later married and built a family, Robert continued the correspondence because end...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Robert Traven → Laura Di Falco (Professional Coordinator) — Laura manages Robert's official visit and business itinerary.

  Laura organizes Robert's schedule, including meetings, a press conference, and a formal dinner, while he is in Naples on business.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Robert Traven → la portiera (Narrative Recipient Of Warning) — La portiera's report prompts Robert to reconsider leaving Naples.

  Robert learns from the telephone report attributed to la portiera that Antonio Jasiello and Giulio have disappeared.

• Giulio Jasiello → Pasqualino (Social Community Connection) — Both are situated within the local family and tradition-centered social setting.

  Giulio is present at the family gathering where the story of Pasqualino's survival and monk's clothing is discussed.

• Laura Di Falco → la portiera (Unknown Crisis Contact) — The telephone contact transfers the crisis information to Laura's side of the story.

  A telephone call conveys la portiera's crying report about the disappearance of Antonio Jasiello and Giulio while Laura is handling Robert's departure...

• Antonio Jasiello → Giulio Jasiello (Unknown Shared Disappearance) — Their simultaneous disappearance creates a direct narrative connection between them.

  The telephone report specifically states that Antonio Jasiello and Giulio have disappeared.

• Robert Traven → Antonio Jasiello (Narrative Concerned Observer) — Antonio's disappearance changes Robert's decision about leaving Naples.

  When the telephone call reports that Antonio Jasiello and Giulio have disappeared, Robert realizes that the situation may be serious and chooses to re...

• Robert Traven → Pasqualino (Social Witness To His Story) — Robert learns about Pasqualino through the family's account of his survival.

  At the family gathering, Robert hears the story of Pasqualino, who dresses as a monk after surviving two supposedly fatal episodes.

• Robert Traven → Giulio Jasiello (Social Acquaintance) — Robert encounters Giulio within the local family and social circle.

  Robert attends a family gathering where Giulio discusses a recording opportunity with French producers and the money involved.

• Robert Traven → Maria (Social Long-Term Correspondent) — Their prolonged correspondence carries unresolved emotional weight for Robert.

  Robert had written to Maria for many years, beginning in 1946 when she was grieving, and continued after she married and built a family.

Story Analysis

A business trip to Naples becomes a return to unresolved memories, emotional obligations, and a sudden local crisis.

Plot Progression

1. A Business Return — Robert arrives in Naples to negotiate with Aeritalia. Laura organizes his official schedule, but questions about his wartime connection begin to unsettle the business visit.
2. The City Remembers — People recognize Robert from television and treat him as a familiar figure. Old streets and local conversations reconnect him with a past he claims not to remember clearly.
3. Letters Beneath Success — Robert's long correspondence with Maria reveals an unresolved emotional burden. At a family gathering, local stories about Giulio and Pasqualino contrast with Robert's professional world.
4. The Departure Reversed — Robert prepares to leave, but a crying telephone report announces the disappearance of Antonio Jasiello and Giulio. He misses his flight and orders a return to Naples.