Economy and finance – The extraordinary operations by large Italian companies take no break during the Christmas holidays. The international media focus above all on the FCA- PSA merger which won shareholder approval in early 2021 (Bloomberg, January 3 – PSA, Fiat to Seal Merger After Winning Shareholder Approval*), allowing the Chairman of the Italian-American group John Elkann to achieve the goal of creating “the world’s third-largest car maker” (The Wall Street Journal, January 3 – Fiat Chrysler’s John Elkann Nears Crowning Achievement With PSA Merger*) with an operation that the chairman of the PSA supervisory board, Louis Gallois, defines as the industry’s “largest merger” (Les Echos, January 4 – Louis Gallois : Peugeot et Fiat, c’est « la plus grande fusion de l’automobile »*).
The Angelini pharmaceutical group is also growing, having bought Switzerland’s Arvelle for $ 1 billion (Reuters, January 4 – Italy’s healthcare group Angelini buys Swiss-based Arvelle in $1 billion deal; Boersen Zeitung, January 5 – Angelini Pharma erwirbt Arvellehttps:*). Financial Times, on the other hand, returns to the purchase of Stone Island by Moncler, reporting on how it is plotting “a new path” for the group led by Remo Ruffini (December 18 – Remo Ruffini shows Moncler is more than just puff with €1bn Stone Island deal*).
Business and fashion take centre stage in the article that El Mundo’s supplement Yo Dona dedicates to Miuccia Prada, Italy’s second-richest woman, worth an estimated $ 2.2 billion (December 21 – Miuccia Prada, la segunda mujer más rica de Italia). And while Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung celebrates the 75th anniversary of Nutella and the business success of Ferrero (December 27 – Happy Birthday, Nutella!), other news outlets dedicate coverage to the relaunch strategies in the infrastructures sector: this is the case with Atlantia which is preparing to offload Autostrade while aiming to expand in the European airport sector (Financial Times, December 18 – Infrastructure group Atlantia aims to expand in struggling airport sector) and with Eni and Snam which, in alliance with Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, aim to “guide energy transition” in Italy (Reuters, December 23 – Italy enlists Eni, Snam and CDP to help drive energy transition).
Lastly, Italian quality craftsmanship has attracted attention abroad, with Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung telling the story of Antonio Taverna, the “passionate builder” of bicycle frames in Padua (January 3 – Im Rahmen des Möglichen).
Culture – There is no shortage of cultural reporting in the foreign press. The Uffizi is inaugurating 2021 with an exhibition dedicated to the 700th anniversary of the death of Dante, thanks to the exhibiting of 88 “rare illustrations” of the Divine Comedy (The Washington Post, January 1 – Italy’s Uffizi opens Dante anniversary with virtual exhibit*; The Guardian, January 1 – Italy begins year of Dante anniversary events with virtual Uffizi exhibition), while the discovery of a thermopolium in Pompei has attracted the attention of numerous news outlets with texts, photos, and videos of this “ancient snack bar” unearthed in an “exceptionally well-preserved” state (December 26 and 27 in The New York Times – Ancient Snack Bar Unearthed in Pompeii*; Die Zeit – Forscher entdecken antike Snackbar in Pompeji; Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung – Antiker Schnellimbiss in Pompeji begeistert Forscher; Sueddeutsche Zeitung – Fast Food aus der Antike; El País – El Termopolio, el restaurante ‘fast-food’ de Pompeya).
And while Sueddeutsche Zeitung is visiting Macerata to cover neoclassical architecture and the musical events of the Sferisterio (December 29 – Oper statt Ballspiel), El Mundo reports on the “memorable New Year’s concert” conducted in Vienna by Riccardo Muti, with which the maestro has reclaimed “the role of music and culture as a mission and as a weapon of the future” (January 1 – Riccardo Muti entusiasma con un Concierto de Año Nuevo “cargado de flores y esperanza”).
In cinema, The New York Times reviews Pinocchio, with which Matteo Garrone “hopes to surprise audiences” (December 23 – A New Pinocchio Film Returns to the Tale’s Dark Origins*), while The Guardian covers comic strips, recounting the origin of the London settings of Dylan Dog, the work of Tiziano Sclavi that has sold 60 million copies worldwide (December 28 – Dylan Dog: the hit London-set Italian horror comic unknown in the UK).
Food – Nor has food reporting been neglected: El País follows the “culinary journey” that the businesswoman Nicoletta Negrini makes every year “to the cradle of balsamic vinegar” (January 1 – En la cuna del aceto balsámico), while Der Standard covers traditional desserts, with articles dedicated to Panettone and to Christmas biscuits (19 December 19 – Panettone von Ströck Feierabend; December 22 – Biscotti di natale: Weiche Butterplätzchen mit Herz).
*Article available for pay / at registration