Economy – Financial news about Italy this week has focused on the plans for growth announced by major groups. Eni, for example has just made a 30 year deal with the government of Montenegro allowing it to research and extract hydrocarbons in the Adriatic (Reuters, September 14 – Montenegro signs 30-year oil concession deal with Eni, Novatek). However, it was Generali that featured in an article in France’s Les Echos which set out its plans for future development (September 9 – Generali lance un nouveau plan de développement en Italie*).
Art & design – There were several pieces involving art and design this week. El País wrote about the inflatable boats that can be seen on the facade of the Palazzo Strozzi in Florence as part of the exhibition about to open there dedicated to the work of Ai Wewei (September 15 – Ai Weiwei cuelga lanchas del Palazzo Strozzi). Meanwhile the New York Times had so-called “Arte Povera” on its mind, running a piece about two American collectors of the genre about to open a space, in the state of New York, dedicated to the subject (September 14 – You Don’t Know What Arte Povera Is? They Can Change That*). The same paper featured another article on Italian art, the Cab chair, by Mario Bellini, which New York’s MoMa has described as one of the most significant pieces of 20th century furniture (September 9 – Design classic: Mario Bellini’s Cab chair*).
There is also a significant Italian connection in the massive sculpture known as “Vessel” that it was made in Monfalcone although it will eventually make its way to a recently created district of New York (news and photos September 14 – New York Times – A $150 Million Stairway to Nowhere on the Far West Side; Bloomberg Business – Related Unveils Design for Towering $150 Million ‘Vessel’ in Hudson Yards; Washington Post – Plans for huge sculpture in New York public plaza unveiled).
Tourism – A subject always featured in the news somewhere is tourism with le Monde that was in Pompeii to talk about the way new technology is able to show us what life was like in the Roman city at the foot of Vesuvius before disaster struck (September 9 – Pompéi, la vie révélée au scanner*). On the other hand the New York Times told readers about the “culinary secrets” of Norcia (September 14 – Umbria, Italy’s Best-Kept Culinary Secret, Is Budding*). Moreover, a beautiful sunrise over Mont Blanc featured in the Financial Times in its web-based Photo Diary (September 9 – Mont Blanc sunrise) whilst the luxury property for sale section of the print edition featured a villa for sale in the hills around Lucca (September 9 – Five homes for sale with formal gardens). For Bloomberg it was the tortuous roads around Lake Garda that kept the reporter testing Maserati’s new SUV busy (September 12 – Conquer the Hills of Italy in a Maserati Levante).
Leading figures – Two Italians featured in separate New York Times articles the first, Daniele Gatti, who has just been appointed Chief Conductor for Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (September 11 – Daniele Gatti, Creative Risk-Taker, Picks Up Baton at Royal Concertgebouw*) whilst the second was all about Isabella Dalla Ragione, sometimes described as “an arboreal archaeologist”, who saves Umbria’s ancient species of trees from becoming extinct (September 11 – Italian Grows Forgotten Fruit. What She Preserves Is a Culture*).
*Article available for pay / at registration