Cars – The international business press has cars in its headlights. First up is Ferrari, which posted a record first quarter, raising its earnings forecast for the year (Bloomberg, May 2 – Ferrari Raises 2016 Forecast as Sports Car Sales Help Profit); the carmaker also announced it has appointed Sergio Marchionne as CEO (The Wall Street Journal, May 2 – Ferrari Names Sergio Marchionne as CEO*).
The Italian/Canadian executive is also the focus of other articles: New York Times reports his words on the future of Alfa Romeo in China (May 2 – Fiat Chrysler CEO Sees Future for Alfa Romeo in China*), while Reuters stresses the agreements between the FCA Group and Google on the self-driving car (April 29 – Google, Fiat Chrysler working on self-driving car deal: sources).
There is also coverage of the history of the Fiat Group’s brands, with Handelsblatt paying homage to one of the symbols of Italian carmaking: the Alfa Romeo Spider (May 4 – Pizza di Pininfarina)
Motorized transport of the nautical kind is covered in Les Echos, which reports that the Ferretti yacht group is back in the black (April 28 – Luxe-Le constructeur de yachts Ferretti renoue avec les profits*).
King Claudio – The week’s biggest newsmakers certainly include Claudio Ranieri, the Italian coach who became a football “hero” (The Washington Post, May 3 – ‘King Claudio’: Ranieri hailed as a hero at home in Italy) by leading Leicester to victory in the English Premier League (Financial Times, April 30 – Claudio Ranieri: The Tinkerman poised to win at last*). This achievement is all the more satisfying (L’Orient le Jour, May 5 – Claudio Ranieri, ou la revanche du “loser sympa”) for having been attained, as The Guardian explains, thanks to “unorthodox training methods” and strong principles (April 29 – Claudio Ranieri: a gentle and principled man on the verge of immortality).
Culture – In its cultural coverage, Financial Times reviews the book by author Catherine Fletcher on the “spectacular life” of Alessandro de’ Medici, the “Black Prince of Florence” (April 29 – ‘The Black Prince of Florence: The Spectacular Life and Treacherous World of Alessandro de’ Medici’, by Catherine Fletcher*). El País, on the other hand, reports on They Call Me Jeeg Robot, the surprise Italian hit fresh from its victory of seven David di Donatello awards (May 2 – El ladronzuelo con superpoderes que arrasa en Italia). Also in cinema, die Welt pays homage to producer and director Luca Guadagnino, whose works “emanate a great beauty” (May 4 – Der Fremde mit dem großen Drang zur Freiheit).
Tourism – Numerous articles regard tourism. Milan takes centre stage in El País which, in its El Viajero feature, pays a visit to the Prada Foundation and the other buildings symbolizing the transformation of a city that is an “important laboratory of architectural experimentation” (April 29 – Un edificio de pan de oro en Milán). El Mundo also comes to Lombardy’s capital for a wide-ranging interview – from art to fashion – of Miuccia Prada (May 1 – La moda según Miuccia Prada). The Spanish daily also reports on the Vatican Library, one of the “world’s most important literary collections,” restored with the contribution of the Spaniard Ángela Núñez Gaitán (May 3 – La cámara de las maravillas).
Franfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, on the other hand, pays a visit to the Venetian Lagoon, recommending locations that can compete with the charm of the City of the Doges (May 2 – Mach einen Bogen um Venedig).
Reuters also covers tourism, albeit from the economic standpoint, reporting on the purchase of a majority stake in Valtur by the Italian private equity group Investindustrial (April 28 – Italy’s Investindustrial buys majority stake in holiday group Valtur).
Wine & Food – Cuisine also claims the spotlight. El País makes the rounds of the restaurants in Naples, “one of Europe’s most attractive destinations,” on the eve of pizza’s recognition by UNESCO (May 2 – Oda a la pizza napolitana), while Financial Times explains that it is time to “take advantage of Italian wines,” which are currently among the best values (April 29 – Italian renaissance). The Guardian, on the other hand, in its “A Kitchen in Rome” feature, offers new recipes for pasta with ricotta and “misticanza” (May 3 – Rachel Roddy’s new-season greens with ricotta pasta recipe).
The foreign press also includes coverage of Italian cuisine, with El Mundo recommending Madrid’s best Italian restaurants (May 1 – Cuaderno Matoses: los mejores restaurantes italianos de Madrid) and The New York Times reviewing the cooking lessons offered at the New York showroom of the Umbrian truffle company Urbani (May 2 – At Urbani’s Truffle Lab, Classes and Cooking Lessons*). Lastly, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung recounts the success of the pizzeria Millelire in Frankfurt, which hosts working lunches of the European Central Bank (April 30 – Arancini und Pizza)
* Article available for pay /at registration