“We saved the best for last” – The American press shines the spotlight on the Obama presidency’s final state dinner, dedicated to Italy. As the Associated Press explains in an article run in the New York Times, it was an event for the American president to “honor Italy and its leader” (October 18 – Obama Uses Final State Dinner to Honor Italy and Its Leader). This relationship of friendship between Rome and Washington was in full evidence in Barack Obama’s toast, transcribed in full by the Washington Post (October 18 – Full Transcript: President Obama’s toast at the Italian State Dinner*).
“We saved the best for last,” declared the American president as he welcomed prime minister Matteo Renzi and the Italian delegation. According to the New York Times, Obama “wasn’t joking” (October 18 – Obama: ‘We Saved the Best for Last’ at Final State Dinner): in fact, alongside the guest list also featured in Time magazine (October 18 – Here’s the Guest List for the Obamas’ Final State Dinner), the newspaper recounts that everything at the gala was “big or bigger,” starting with the menu supervised by Italian-American chef Mario Batali (New York Times, October 16 – Mario Batali (Yes, in His Orange Crocs) to Prepare Obamas’ Last State Dinner*; Washington Post, October 18 – For the Italy state dinner, Mario Batali and team work their magic with pasta).
American newspapers also emphasized Michelle Obama’s homage to Italian fashion, as she made a Versace gown her choice for the evening (Washington Post, October 18 – At the final Obama state dinner, Versace’s glamour shimmers; Wall Street Journal, October 18 – First Lady Michelle Obama Wears Versace Gown for Italy State Dinner*).
Culture – This week Italian culture is also prominently featured in the foreign press: while some publications are running new articles commemorating the life and works of Dario Fo (between October 13 and 16 in the Washington Post – Dario Fo, Italian playwright and ‘jester’ who won Nobel Prize, dies at 90; Le Monde – L’ultime surprise de Dario Fo; El País, October 14 – Dario Fo, la estirpe del juglar moderno*; El País – La otra cara de Dario Fo en cinco canciones; Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung – Dario Fo gestorben; die Zeit – Italienischer Literaturnobelpreisträger Dario Fo ist tot; Sueddeutsche Zeitung – Clown und Nobelpreisträger – Dario Fo ist gestorben; Dario Fo, ein Flegel, ein Nobelpreisträger; Ein Lächeln für den Umsturz), others concentrate on art, with the exhibition “Beyond Caravaggio” bringing together works by the Italian painter, first at London’s National Gallery and then in Dublin and Edinburgh (The Guardian, October 16 – Beyond Caravaggio review – the force of revelation; Financial Times, October 14 – Caravaggio: the light that never goes out*). In the theatre world, there is coverage of Italian playwright Romeo Castellucci, on stage in Madrid with a new play entitled Go Down, Moses (El País, October 13 – Romeo Castellucci: “El teatro nunca consuela”), and Marco D’Amore, an actor who has transitioned from the television studio with Gomorra to the stage with American Buffalo (le Monde, October 15 – Marco D’Amore, l’Italien qui ne rêve pas d’Amérique*). Music is also prominently featured, with an interview with Stefano Bollani, the Italian pianist who “breaks down the barriers between classical and jazz” (El País, October 18 – Stefano Bollani: “El elitismo tiene los días contados”), as is cinema, with a review of the “Italian super-production” dedicated to the House of Medici (El País, October 19 – ‘Los Medici’, banqueros, mecenas, estrellas de la televisión).
The Guardian interviews Carlo Rovelli, “a pioneer in research into quantum gravity,” on the success of his book Seven Brief Lessons on Physics (October 16 – Carlo Rovelli: ‘Science is where revolutions happen’). Lastly, also in publishing, el Mundo marks the arrival in Italy of the Italian publishing house Planeta which, alongside DeAgostini, is launching DA Planeta Libri (October 14 – El Grupo Planeta entra en Italia).
Wine & food – A number of stories involve Italian cuisine: Washington Post proposes recipes from the restaurant Alta Strada in the United States capital (October 13 – Alta Strada review: Italian favorites, with a twist), while the Guardian reviews London’s Mercato Metropolitano (October 16 – Mercato Metropolitano: restaurant review). On the other hand – reports El Mundo – the renowned Spanish chef Ferran Adrià is coming to Italy, chosen as the culinary consultant for the new Lavazza location in Turin (October 18 – Ferran Adrià desembarca en Turín). Lastly, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung visits Naples to recount the origins of the Italian dish “most famous all over the world”: pizza (October 20 – Woher kommt eigentlich die Pizza?).
Tourism – Tourism is also making the news, as Financial Times recounts the “magic” of alberghi diffusi, “scattered hotels,” in Mascognaz in Val d’Aosta (October 14 – High-altitude hideaways*) while the Guardian proposes different ways to sojourn in Italy free of charge, suggesting B&Bs that barter hospitality in exchange for goods and services, from social media consulting to olive picking (October 19 – Visitors to Italy can stay for free by sharing skills and goods). Time, on the other hand, encourages its readers to: “Stop what you’re doing and start planning your next vacation”; the destination is Dora Sarchese in Abruzzo, where a fountain that flows with free wine has been installed (October 17 – An Italian Town Has a Miraculous Wine Fountain—and It’s Totally Free). Author Frances Mayes then recounts how she decided to move to Tuscany (the Guardian, October 18 – Under the Tuscan Sun: what writing the book taught me about taking risks); a choice also made by Kotaro Miyahira, a Japanese entrepreneur who decided to live in Florence to open his own fashion boutique (Financial Times, October 14 – The Japanese tailor who found his perfect fit in Florence*).
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