Katherine visits museums and historical sites, whereas Alexander goes to Capri to unwind with drinks. However, during the course of their vacation, the Joyces both undergo changes. Ridiculed when it first appeared in 1953, but correctly acclaimed as masterwork a few years later by the Cahiers du Cinéma critics - who became the French New Wave. This film marks the point where neo-realism begins to be rejected and anticipates the modernism of Antonioni's ‘L'Avventura’.