Economy & Finance – The growth strategies of Italian businesses featured in the foreign press again this week. The New York Times explained how Kiko, known for its “cheap but trendy” cosmetics, is looking for investors that will support its “rapid growth” on foreign markets (March 29 – Interview-Italy’s Kiko CEO Says May Bring in New Investor to Fund Growth*) whilst the Financial Times described how Intesa Sanpaolo, “Italy’s leading bank” when it comes to capitalization, is also looking for a new partner as it plans to expand the asset management side of its business (April 1 – Intesa Sanpaolo plans asset management merger*). Meanwhile, the New York Times wrote about the determination of Pirelli’s foreign investors to stay the course, convinced that its fortunes are on the rise (March 29 – Pirelli’s Russian Shareholder LTI Plans to Stay After Lock-Up Period Ends*), and Spain’s El Mundo, wrote about Ebrofoods acquisition of 70% of Bertagni, Italy’s oldest producer of “filled/stuffed” pasta (April 2 – Ebro Foods adquiere el 70% de Bertagni, la marca de pasta rellena más antigua de Italia).
Architeture and design – Two articles on Italian style this week that featured famous architects, with Le Monde running an interview with Renzo Piano, who, 40 years after the success of his Pompidou centre is back in Paris to design the city’s new Palace of Justice (April 3 – Renzo Piano : « L’architecte allume les consciences »*) whilst it was “visionary architect”, the Italian-Mexican, Mario Pani responsible for the urban design of Mexico City, who featured in an article, in El Pais to mark the 107th anniversary of his birth (March 31 – Mario Pani, el visionario de la planificación urbanística de Ciudad de México).
Les Echos wrote about the artistic directors of Italy’s leading design brands that included people as diverse as Gio Ponti and Patrizia Amoroso (April 5 – Direction artistique : le dada du design).
A product symbolic of Italian style, the “vespa” was the focus of an article published in two different papers, that reported on the success vintage Piaggio models are enjoying in Pakistan and described the scooter as the best present, after pizza, that Italy has given the world (April – New York Times – Labor of Love-Vintage Vespa Fans Cling to the Past in Pakistan*; Reuters – Labor of love: Vintage Vespa fans cling to the past in Pakistan).
Tourism featured several times this week, with two major US dailies, New York Times and Washington Post, running the same article, from the Associated Press, that explored the opening of the Giacomo Casanova Museum and Experience in the Palazzo Pesaro Papafava in Venice (New York Times – Italy Museum Aims to Show Casanova as More Than Just a Lover*; Washington Post – Italy museum aims to show Casanova as more than just a lover*). El Mundo, on the other hand, headed for Milan to review the city’s “most daring” hotel, the new Nhow in the Tortona district that has apparently had both Brad Pitt and Rihanna “flipping out” (April 5 – El hotel más atrevido de Milán que vuelve locos a Brad Pitt y Rihanna).
Lake Garda was well represented with El Pais Semanal, publishing photos of a 17th century residence that has been transformed into a dream “country home” (March 28 – Piel centenaria, una casa de campo de ensueño en Italia), and the New York Times described how the world’s first “robot concierge” can be found in Peschiera del Garda (April 2 – Italy’s Robot Concierge a Novelty on the Way to Better AI*).
Then Gardone Riviera was the starting point for Bloomberg’s video report that also featured the latest model of Maserati’s Levante SUV as it made its way around some of the lake’s many winding roads (March 28 – Travelling through Gardone Riviera).
Food & Drink featured in the American press this week following the death of Andrew Balducci “the pioneer of gourmet Italian food in New York, (March 30 in both the Wall Street Journal – Italian gourmet grocery pioneer Andrew Balducci dies at 92* and the Washington Post respectively – Italian gourmet grocery pioneer Andrew Balducci dies at 92*). The New York Times also wrote about white wines from the Etna district in Sicily (March 29 – Your Next Lesson: Etna Bianco*), whilst El Mundo explored various Italian products it said was made with a “rigour and seriousness” that Spain could learn from (April 2 – Cata de la semana: Italia). And then on 3 and 4 April, the Washington Post provided readers with two very Italian recipes – Pasta, Potatoes and Cauliflower* and – Pasta and Black-Eyed Peas*).
*Article available for pay / at registration