Economy and finance – Extraordinary transactions take centre stage in the pages of the foreign press dedicated to Italian companies. Reuters reports on the acquisition Lavazza has just completed in Australia, as the coffee group “pushes ahead with a shopping spree that has allowed it to sharply increase its scale” (July 2 – Italy’s Lavazza buys Australia’s Blue Pod Coffee). Acquisitions are also on the horizon for the digital services group Reply which – as the The New York Times explains reporting an article from the Reuters press agency – “intends to grow further” (July 4 – Italy’s Reply to Press Ahead With M&A for Further Growth). Reuters also reports the news of the CVC fund’s investment in the pharmaceutical company Recordati, in a “deal worth about 3 billion euros” (June 29 – CVC-led group buys 51.8 pct of Italy’s Recordati, to launch takeover).
Lastly, The New York Times terms as “epochal” Eni’s announcement that it is investing in sustainability and to be the first oil company to become “carbon neutral” (July 2 – Italy’s Eni Aims for Oil Industry First With Carbon Neutral Goal*).
Fashion – Making the news in fashion are the strategies of Ferragamo, which is wagering again on marketing (Reuters, June 28 – Italy’s Ferragamo appoints new marketing head in management rejig) and Armani’s proposals for Haute Couture in Paris (July 3 in The New York Times – Armani Glams Up Fashion Week With Lashings of Gold and Bubblegum Pink*; Reuters – Armani glams up fashion week with lashings of gold and bubblegum pink; July 4 in Les Echos (4 July – Armani Privé : le glamour de Giorgio en 5 points).
Culture – The cultural pages cover Riccardo Muti’s concert in Kiev dedicated to peace in Ukraine (El Pais, July 3 – Lecciones de Verdi para lograr la paz en Ucrania) and the autobiography of Dario Argento, with a film retrospective in French cinemas revealing the “ghosts and obsessions that influenced the Italian filmmaker.” (Liberation, June 29 – Dario Argento, «Peur» sur la vie*).
Tourism and cuisine – Tuscany takes centre stage in tourism reporting, with images of the latest meeting of Calcio Storico Fiorentino (Liberation, July 3 – En Italie, on préfère la coupe des gnons*) and with the recognition of no fewer than 14 “cittàslow” – a denomination honouring the “slow cities” far away from the frenzy (Die Zeit, July 4 – Muße tun). Austria’s Der Standard, on the other hand, visits Milan for the traditional risotto recipe (July 3 – Risotto alla Milanese: Safran macht das Risotto gehl).
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