Fancy holiday spots are out of reach to millions of Italians in the grip of economic hardship. In one of the biggest town in the South of Italy and the largest port of the Adriatic, Bari, many vacationers seek relief in places closer to their own doorsteps. The "Canalone", a huge drainage canal collecting the excess of water spilling out from the sewers during the floods, in the summer season becomes a very popular place. Thousands of people descend on the area to take advantage of the free beach strip formed by the canal before the seafront, with makeshift tents, food and make-do cookers, prepared for an extended stay. Relationships intertwine and bonds form as the shared experience intensifies. Family troubles, love, pain, card games and random conversations unite people. Sandwiched between the metropolis and the pop up portaloos, this impoverished beach-front becomes a place of hope and dreams.
