Economy – The financial situation of Italian companies and their strategies for international growth featured in various articles this week. The New York Times and Les Echos wrote about the “step forward” made in plans for a collaboration between Italian shipbuilders Fincantieri and France’s Naval Group who together plan to expand and “export to the world market” (October 23 – French, Italian Firms Seal Naval Co-operation Venture; October 25 – Naval Group et Fincantieri font un premier pas ensemble).
There were also numerous articles on about Japan’s Calsonic 6.2 billion Euro investment in Magneti Marelli that will make the new Magneti Marelli CK Holdings brand one of the world’s leading suppliers of car parts. (October 21 and 22 in Wall Street Journal – Fiat Chrysler Unloads Car-Parts Unit in $7.1 Billion Deal With KKR*; the Financial Times – Fiat agrees €6bn sale of Magneti car parts unit to KKR’s Calsonic*; Le Monde – Fiat cède Magneti Marelli au japonais Calsonic Kansei pour 6,2 milliards d’euros*; Les Echos – Fiat Chrysler cède son équipementier Magneti Marelli au Japonais Calsonic Kansei*; El Mundo – La japonesa Calsonic compra la italiana Magneti Marelli por 6.200 millones; El Pais – Fiat vende Magneti Marelli a la japonesa Calsonic por 6.200 millones de euros).
Protagonists in Italy’s economy no longer with us also got a mention in this week’s foreign press such as: Gilberto Benetton, “the financial brain” behind the expansion of the family group (Financial Times, October 23- Gilberto Benetton, Italian industrialist, 1941-2018*; Der Standard, October 22 – Modefirma-Mitgründer Gilberto Benetton gestorben) and Wanda Ferragamo, the queen of another family group (New York Times, October 24 – Wanda Ferragamo, 96, Dies; Reigned Over Family’s Luxury Goods Empire*), Reuters went with uplifting news about the “very positive signs evident in Italy’s outwear maker Moncler’s financial status (October 24 – Italy’s Moncler sees “very positive signs” in Q4).
Culture – This week, Italian culture also featured in various articles in the foreign press. El País was in Mantua to see the “marvelous” frescos in Andrea Mantegna’s Bridal Chamber (October 17 – Los maravillosos frescos de la ‘Cámara de los Esposos’ de Mantua (Italia) and then another article of the same paper focused on Caravaggio in a review of a documentary entitled “Caravaggio – his soul and blood” (October 20 – Caravaggio, el impulso del arte en los cines).
Yet another article in the Spanish paper described an interview with the mezzosoprano Cecilia Bartoli and the stage production of Rossini’s Cinderella in Madrid (October 21 – Cecilia Bartoli: “Los italianos también emigramos, a nadie le gusta tomar ese camino”), whilst Tunisia’s La Presse described the “mastery” of a great Italian pianist, Mario Mariani in a performance at the October Music festival in Carthage (October 23 – Mario Mariani, le parfait accord).
Music and popular culture came together in another interview, this time about the “story singer” Franco Trincale, published in the New York Times (October 19 – One of Italy’s Last ‘Story Singers’ Is Briefly Left Speechless*). It was Italian literature that featured in a piece in Le Monde about Simonetta Greggio’s book ‘Elsa mon amour’, dedicated to Elsa Morante, the writer who was at the center of Italy’s cultural scene between the 50s and 70s (October 25 – Simonetta Greggio: «Habiter avec force Elsa Morante»*).
Italian cinema lay at the heart of an interview that featured Micheal Radford, who directed Il Postino, and his memories of making the movie and the passing of its star, Massimo Troisi (The Guardian, October 23 – How we made Il Postino).
Lifestyle – As to the way of life in Italy, the Financial Times wrote about its visit to the gardens of the Villa Silvio Pellico in Moncalieri in Piedmont (October 19 – Parterre familiar: the gardens at Villa Silvio Pellico*), whilst it was Italian design that featured in El País in a piece all about the ‘Icona’ armchairs designed by Antonio Citterio for Flexform (Octoebr 21 – Todas las pieles del diseño). Then articles were dedicated to the 1000 Miglia, one of the world’s most famous car races now heading, in a shortened version, to the States, (Bloomberg, October 22 – Italy’s Famous 1000 Miglia Vintage Car Rally Comes to the U.S.), whilst the Frankfurte Allegemeine Zeitung ran a piece about Italian gastronomy that was dedicated to Claudio Corallo, the man from Florence “who created the best chocolate in the world” (October 24 – Die vielleicht beste Schokolade der Welt).
*Article available for pay / at registration