La vacanza (lit. Italian: The vacation) is a 1971 Italian drama film by Tinto Brass. It stars Vanessa Redgrave and Franco Nero. It premiered at the Venice Film Festival on 4 September 1971 where it was awarded the 'Best Italian Film' prize. This was followed by a theatrical release in Italy on 5 April 1972. A year earlier, Brass, Redgrave and Nero had worked together on the romantic drama, Dropout.
Immacolata (Redgrave) is a peasant girl and mistress of the count, but when he turns his attentions back to his wife he has Immacolata committed to a mental asylum. 'La Vacanza' is her one-month experimental leave from the institution. She is rejected by her family and subsequently finds new friends in the form of gypsies and an Englishman. But their happiness is blighted by criminal actions and a fight for freedom.[1]