The tragedy of Zampano is that while he seeks fulfillment in meaningless carnal pursuits and the hollow acclaim of strangers, the happiness that eludes him is at hand but his own self-deception prevents him from recognizing what a treasure he already has in Gelsomina. In his endeavors he is assisted by Gelsomina (Giulietta Masina), a simple-minded young woman who is devoted to this selfish man endowed with little more intelligence than she. It's the story of Zampano (Anthony Quinn), who travels from town to town, eking out a meager living by passing the hat after each performance, which consists mainly of wrapping a quarter-inch chain made of iron around his chest, then breaking it by expanding his lungs.
A man of uncommon strength, who lives on the road and makes his living as an entertainer performing feats of strength, but who masks the emptiness of his life with a perpetual show of bravura, is the focal point of `La Strada,' directed by Federico Fellini and written by Fellini and Tullio Pinelli.