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Two people with little in common on the surface find they're actually kindred spirits in this drama from filmmaker Emidio Greco. "The Professor" (Giuseppe Battiston) is the mean-spirited nickname given to a stocky, slow-witted maintenance man who works at an apartment building in Rome. The building is home to a group of prostitutes overseen by a madam (Iaia Forte) who asks the Professor to run an errand for her -- one of her girls, "the Marchesa" (Ambra Angiolini), is in the hospital, and he wants her to pass along a letter. The Professor agrees, and discovers that despite their differences, he and the Marchesa understand each other well, especially the loneliness and isolation they both feel. As the Professor's new friendship with the Marchesa opens his eyes to life's possibilities, he visits the ruins at Tivoli's Villa Adriana, which proves to be a remarkable and life-changing experience. Adapted from a novel by Franco Lucentini, Notizie Degli Scavi (aka News From The Excavation) was an official selection at the 2010 Venice Film Festival.