In autumn of 1526, the Emperor, Charles V, sends his German landsknechts led by Georg von Frundsberg to march towards Rome. The inferior papal armies, commanded by Giovanni de'Medici, try to chase them in the midst of a harsh winter. Nevertheless, the Imperial armies manage to cross the rivers along their march and get cannons thanks to the maneuvers of its Lords. In a skirmish, Giovanni de'Medici is wounded in the leg by a falconet shot. The attempts to cure him fail and he dies. The Imperial armies assault Rome. The film is beautifully but unassumingly set, and shows the hard conditions in which war is waged and its lack of glory. It ends straightforwardly with the declaration made after the death of Giovanni de'Medici by the commanders of the armies in Europe of not using again fire weapons because of their cruelty.
| Directing | Ermanno Olmi | Director |
| Writing | Ermanno Olmi | Writer |
| Editing | Paolo Cottignola | Editor |
| Production | Luigi Musini | Producer |
| Sound | Fabio Vacchi | Original Music Composer |
| Camera | Fabio Olmi | Director of Photography |
| Production | Roberto Cicutto | Producer |
| Costume & Make-Up | Francesca Sartori | Costume Design |
| Production | Federico Boldrini Parravicini | Production Manager |
| Art | Luigi Marchione | Production Design |
| Production | Alessandro Calosci | Executive Producer |
| Directing | Andrea Marrari | First Assistant Director |
| Editing | Pasquale Cuzzupoli | Color Timer |
| Directing | Federica Ciciarelli | Second Assistant Director |
| Directing | Fabrizia Iacona | Script Supervisor |
| Production | Beatrice Biggi | Unit Manager |
| Production | Micaela Borgiotti | Unit Manager |
| Production | Ivana Kastratovic | Production Coordinator |
| Production | Leonida Copertino | Production Secretary |
| Production | Tino Polenghi | Production Assistant |
| Camera | Fabio Olmi | Camera Operator |
| Camera | Federico Ferrario | Camera Operator |
| Camera | Massimiliano Pantucci | Assistant Camera |
| Sound | Francesco Liotard | Sound |
| Costume & Make-Up | Giulio Pezza | Makeup Department Head |
| Costume & Make-Up | Alberto Blasi | Makeup Artist |
| Costume & Make-Up | Lorenzo Cera | Hair Department Head |
| Costume & Make-Up | Michela Cingolani | Hairstylist |
| Camera | Philippe Antonello | Still Photographer |
| Art | Cosimo Gomez | Assistant Production Design |
| Art | Paolo Faenzi | Assistant Set Decoration |
| Lighting | Fabio Proserpio | Gaffer |
| Camera | Cesare Emidi | Key Grip |
| Visual Effects | Fabio Traversari | Special Effects Supervisor |
| Visual Effects | Massimo Ciaraglia | Special Effects Supervisor |
| Visual Effects | Pasquale Catalano | Special Effects Supervisor |
| Editing | Stefano Quaglia | Assistant Editor |
| Editing | Adriana Benedetti | Assistant Editor |
| Sound | Mario Giacco | Foley Artist |
| Sound | Massimo Rocchi | Sound Effects Editor |
| Sound | Alessandro Giacco | Sound Effects Editor |
| Production | Alexander Metodiev | Executive Producer |
| Art | Cosimo Gomez | Art Direction |
| Art | Luigi Marchione | Set Decoration |
| Art | Massimo Santomarco | Set Decoration |
| Visual Effects | Marcello Buffa | Visual Effects Supervisor |
| Costume & Make-Up | Doriana Kebedzhieva | Costume Design |
| Costume & Make-Up | Krassimir Mihaylov | Makeup Artist |
