A surfer girl leaves the California beaches behind for a romantic vacation in Rome.

Leaving the surf of southern California, Gidget Lawrence goes to Rome with her boyfriend, Jeff, and their friends Libby, Lucy, Judge, and Clay. The teenagers are chaperoned by Judge's well-preserved Aunt Albertina, who leaves them on their own, much to their delight. Gidget becomes infatuated with Paolo Cellini, who introduces himself as a journalist and takes her on a tour of Rome's high spots, ostensibly for the purpose of writing an article on an American teenager's reactions to the city. Meanwhile, Jeff embarks on a romance with Daniela Serrini, a tour guide who shows him around Rome; and Gidget returns his fraternity pin. She eventually learns the truth about Paolo: he is a happily married man who undertook the chore of escorting her around the city as a favor to her father. Jeff asks Daniela to join him on the trip home, but she admits that she doesn't love him. When they finally leave for the United States, Gidget and Jeff have been reconciled, and they return home happier and somewhat wiser for their Roman holiday.