Economy – The Italian economy featured heavily in the foreign press this week, with the Financial Times explaining how the country’s financial capital, Milan, is trying to attract the asset managers who will have to leave London once Brexit has gone through (January 3 – Milan moves to lure London asset managers ‘after Brexit*), and in another article it wrote about the USD 2.8 billion deal that Ferrero hopes will enable it to buy out America’s chocolate giant, Nestlè (January 10 – Ferrero nears $2.8bn deal for Nestlé’s US chocolate business*). The same paper also ran a piece on how Lavazza is diversifying by buying into the streaming platform, Chili (December 27 – Lavazza buys €25m ticket in Italian video-on-demand company*).
On the subject of Italian companies on foreign markets Le Matin wrote about the deal between Eni and Morocco’s National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines in an effort to consolidate its presence in that country (December 21 – L’italien ENI décroche une licence au large de Tarfaya), whilst Bloomberg described how Alfa Romeo’s latest models have helped it succeed on the US market (January 4 – Alfa Romeo Bets Big on America and Wins).
Fashion – The start of Pitti Uomo prompted several articles on fashion and style. Spotlight on Gucci following the opening of its new museum, Gucci Garden (New York Times, January 10 – In Florence, the David Gets Dressed and Gucci Gets a Garden; El País, January 11 – Gucci, una historia de moda y arte a través del tiempo) and the restaurant Gucci Osteria, managed by Massimo Bottura, the patron chef of his own 3 star Michelin restaurant (New York Times, January 9 – Feeding the Fashionistas: Gucci Turns to Fine Dining*).
The Financial Times wrote about the 100 million Euros donated by Brunello Cucinelli – the “king of cashmere” and champion of “humane capitalism” – to his family’s charitable foundation (January 10 – Brunello Cucinelli sells €100m stake for charitable foundation), El País ran a piece on Chiara Ferragni and the latest managerial style of her fashion empire (December 22 – Chiara Ferragni toma las riendas de su imperio).
Die Welt, on the other hand, featured an interview with goldsmith Lucia Odescalchi who stressed the importance of “discreet” jewelry made of “unusual materials” (January 1 – „Goldklunker machen nur alt und gewöhnlich“).
Tourism– There was a business element to some of the articles on tourism during this period, with Bloomberg writing about the best hotels to stay in for those heading to Milan for fashion week (January 9 – The Best New Hotels in Milan, Reviewed*), whilst the New York Times was in Como, not far away from the Lombard capital, to discover how this lake district was planning to attract a “new generation” of style-loving visitors (Decemeber 28 – Lake Como for a New Generation of Cool Kids* ). Meanwhile, Les Echos ran a piece all about the Alpine town of Bormio, to celebrate the return of the men’s ski world cup (December 27 – Ski: le grand retour de la Stelvio*).
The New York Times was a little further south with a reportage on Pienza, in Tuscany (January 3 – Going to the Source for a Sacred Italian Cheese*) and published another article on the “MADRE” museum in Naples, where contemporary art sits side by side with artifacts from nearby Pompeii (January 3 – The (Really) Old and New Meet in Naples*). The Sueddeutsche Zeitung, wrote about the continuing appeal of Italian culture and how the country’s museums attracted 50 million visitors last year (January 6 – Mehr als 50 Millionen Besucher in italienischen Museen).
Culture – The country’s classical heritage featured on the cultural pages of Spain’s El País interviewing Professor Nuccio Ordine, author of “L’utilità dell’inutile”(the usefulness of the useless) and “Classici per la vita” (Classics for life) (January 7 – Nuccio Ordine: “Si no te paras, no piensas”). Meantime the New York Times wrote about Simonetta Puccini, the last heir and grand-daughter of the famous composer (December 26 – Simonetta Puccini, Keeper of the Composer’sFlame, Dies at 89*). Pop music featured in the German papers in a celebration of singer Adriano Celentano’s 80th birthday: (January 6 in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung – Adriano nazionale; Der Standard – Adriano Celentano: Der “Gefederte” feiert Geburtstag – Yuppi du!; Die Welt – „Azzurro“ und die Melodie einer Aufsteigerbiografie).
Food – As always, Italian food featured in several articles, with El Mundo writing about the Gualtiero Marchesi held to be the chef that revolutionized Italian cuisine (December 27 – Gualtiero Marchesi, el chef que revolucionó la cocina italiana), whilst the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung found its way to the Island of Elba in order to taste the fish dishes for which the “Il Chiasso” restaurant is famous (January 2 – Die Spezialität der Insel Elba). Meantime, the Washington Post dedicated a piece to a much-loved Italian culinary – lasagna (December 22 – Real lasagna is a culinary marvel worth every minute of your time; Lasagna al Pesto).
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