Culture – Much of this week’s cultural news has focused on opera, with the Washington Post reporting on the start of the new season at Milan’s La Scala and the “new” Traviata at the Opera di Roma based on a concept put forward by the designer Valentino and directed by Sofia Coppola (May 18 – La Scala’s 2016-17 brings back Puccini, Muti). Still on the subject of music The Guardian featured an all-encompassing interview with the composer Ennio Morricone (May 14 – Ennio Morricone: ‘I don’t know the names of any pop musicians’) whilst El Mundo chose to dedicate an article to an Italian literary great, the “diabolic and divine” writer, Gabriele D’Annunzio (May 16 – Gabriele D’Annunzio, amor cannibal).
Style – Italian style – design in particular – was back in the news again, with Le Monde dropping in at the Bottega Veneta’s “atelier of the future” (May 12 – Dans l’atelier du futur de Bottega Veneta) and the Spanish daily, Expansión, published an interview with Pietro Lissoni, the artistic director of Boffi – De Padova, the luxury kitchen, bathroom and furniture brand “as much admired as it copied” (May 12 – Piero Lissoni: el arquitecto sin WhatsApp que afirma que el plástico puede ser ecológico). Interior architecture also featured in Bloomberg, in a photographic piece all about the Milan home of Romeo Sozzi (May 18 – Inside the Home of the World’s Most Expensive Furniture Designer). An earlier article by the same press agency concentrated instead on the auto sector, in a review of the new, and “long-awaited” Alfa Romeo Giulia (May 14 – Alfa Romeo’s 510-Horsepower BMW Killer ).
Tourism – The approaching summer season means there is no shortage of articles on this sector. The Washington Post rediscovered Milan’s old trams (May 16 – 125 vintage trams evoke bygone era in Milan), whilst Reuters centered on the historic town of Cremona to find out about the challenges facing the producers of stringed instruments (May 16 – Italy’s violin-makers struggle to hit profitable note), but it was the Tuscan section of the world-famous Giro d’Italia that inspired el País to write about the most popular cycling trails in Chianti (May 16 – Los favoritos pedalean juntitos bajo la lluvia del Chianti). However, much further south, in Apulia, the New York Times recommends a stay in a lovely 16th century farmhouse (May 12 – 8 European Hotels That Feel Like Home. Only Better*).
Food – This week much of The Guardian’s food section was taken up with its guide to Italian food. The English paper ran a piece on Eleonora Galasso’s cookery book “As the Romans do” (May 13 – Eleonora Galasso’s Roman recipes: five Italian classics), and in another piece it offers a few tips, on how to reduce the calories in traditional Italian dishes (May 13 – A lighter way to enjoy Italian recipes by Anna Jones). It was Italy’s iconic pizza, however, that was the focus on an article in the Wall Street Journal, telling the story of the successful record-breaking efforts of some Neapolitan “pizzaioli” (May 19 – Italian Chefs Break World Record for Longest Pizza).
* Article available for pay/at registration