David Sassoli remembered – This week, the international media has devoted abundant coverage to celebrating the life of the late David Sassoli, President of the European Parliament (January 11 in Bloomberg, – EU Parliament Head David Sassoli Dies of Immune Complication*; Les Echos – UE : le président du Parlement européen, David Sassoli, est décédé*; Boersen Zeitung –EU-Parlamentspräsident Sassoli ist tot; Sueddeutsche Zeitung – EU-Parlamentspräsident Sassoli ist tot; Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung – EU-Parlamentspräsident stirbt im Alter von 65 Jahre; L’Orient le Jour – Le président du Parlement européen David Sassoli est mort; Die Welt – EU-Parlamentspräsident Sassoli seit Ende Dezember im Krankenhaus; Die Zeit – EU-Parlamentspräsident David Sassoli im Alter von 65 Jahren gestorben). News outlets around the world recount the career of “one of the most fervent Europeanists in Italian politics” (El Pais, January 11 – Muere el presidente del Parlamento Europeo, David Sassoli, a los 65 años*), “a beloved face of television journalism” (El Mundo, January 11 – Muere el presidente del Parlamento Europeo, David Sassoli tras una disfunción de su sistema inmunitario) committed to “keeping the European Parliament relevant” (The New York Times, January 10 – David Sassoli, President of the European Parliament, Dies at 65*) thanks also to an “organizational skill” that allowed the MEPs to work during the pandemic, earning Sassoli “the institution’s respect” (Libération, January 11 – Le président du Parlement européen David Sassoli, malade, meurt à 65 ans*).
Other articles recount his commitment to countering extremism (Reuters, January 11 – European Parliament President Sassoli dies aged 65) and his “life spent against indifference” (El Mundo, January 11 – David Sassoli, una vida entera contra la indiferencia), reporting the words of condolence from the major European leaders (also January 11 in Le Monde – David Sassoli, président du Parlement européen, est mort à 65 ans*; El Mundo – “Un líder democrático, orgulloso italiano, generoso, entrañable”: políticos europeos y españoles recuerdan a Sassoli,; Die Zeit – Politiker in Europa trauern um David Sassoli; Handelsblatt – : Ein „überzeugter, leidenschaftlicher Demokrat“: EU-Parlamentspräsident David Sassoli ist tot) and the emotion with which Community institutions marked the death of the Italian politician and journalist (Les Echos, January 11 – Mort du président du Parlement européen, David Sassoli*; Xinhua, January 11 – EU Parliament President David Sassoli dies at 65 in Italy).
Economy – The foreign press also features several news stories on the economy. Reuters covers the lower jobless rate in November 2021, with 64.000 new jobs created (January 10 – Italy Nov jobless rate falls to 9.2% as 64,000 jobs created during month), while Les Echos recounts how Italy has become the “El Dorado of foreign investment funds,” thanks especially to “SMEs seeking resources for development” (January 3 – L’Italie, nouvel Eldorado des fonds d’investissement étrangers).
International news outlets also cover corporate stories like the acquisition of the payments firm Mooney by Enel and Intesa Sanpaolo, in an operation that “values the company at € 1.38 billion ” (Les Echos, December 27 – En Italie, Enel et Intesa Sanpaolo rachètent une fintech). The French daily also focuses attention on the listing of Iveco, which “grew by more than 10%” on the first day of trading (January 3 – Le constructeur de camions Iveco rate ses premiers pas en Bourse), and on the arrival in France of Wash Out, the home carwash group and subsidiary of the Italian Telepass (January 6 – Le leader italien du lavage de voiture sans eau débarque en France).
Lastly, Reuters focuses attention on Snam, which has built a hydrogen fuel at the Torino Airport to help “cut its carbon footprint” (December 29 – Snam to build hydrogen-ready fuel cell for Italy’s Torino Airport).
Culture – In culture, Financial Times recommends nine films, from Rome, Open City to The Great Beauty, by way of La Dolce Vita and Roman Holiday, to recount the “glories” of the Eternal City (December 27 – Glories of Rome: nine of the Eternal City’s most timeless films), and lists the Palazzo Roberti bookshop in Bassano del Grappa as one of “the most brilliant bookshops in the world” (December 27 – The most brilliant bookshops in the world: our readers’ picks). Italian literature takes centre stage in France with the Pléiade publishing house and its bilingual edition of the Divine Comedy (Le Nouvel Observateur, January 4 – Dante a-t-il inventé la nature?), while in Germany Die Zeit pays homage to Pier Paolo Pasolini (December 29 – Heiliger Unsinn*). And in music, while Le Monde interviews, in Ravenna, the “great maestro” Riccardo Muti on the occasion of the complete publication of his recordings from 1973 to 2007 (December 26 – Rencontre avec Riccardo Muti, maestro à vie*), Sueddeutsche Zeitung celebrates 80th birthday of the pianist Maurizio Pollini (January 4 – Das Wunder von Mailand). Archaeology is also covered with the recovery of a horse’s skeleton discovered in Pompei in 1938 (El País, December 31 – Pompeya saca del abandono a uno de sus primeros caballos). Lastly, in popular culture, the children’s supplement of The Washington Post covers the tradition of La Befana (January 5 – La Befana brings holiday treats 12 days after Christmas).
Tourism and lifestyle – Luxury and tourism go together in the article in which Financial Times recounts the new year’s “big hotel openings,” mentioning the Hotel Palma on Capri (January 5 – The big hotel openings of 2022). Another island, Murano, is spotlighted by an article in The New York Times explaining how the style of Venetian glassmakers has become a trend among designers in the United States (December 29 – Inspired by Murano, Glassware Goes Wild). The American daily also covers the new additions made by Bona Fortuna, the online shop that offers traditional “made in Sardinia” pasta on the American market (December 27 – With a Spin and a Twist, Sardinian Pasta Brings the Party), and then visits Parma for an in-depth look at the city, between tourism, wine, and food (January 7 – The Small Town Where Beloved Parmesan Cheese Got Its Start). And while Der Standard recommends the culinary tradition of cotechino with lentils for New Year’s Eve (December 28 – Italienisches Silvesteressen: Gebratene Polenta mit Cotechino und Linsen), lifestyle attracts the media’s attention to Florence, where Pitti Uomo, “the sector’s most important event,” outlines trends in the European textile industry (El País, January 13 – Comodidad, ecología y relevo generacional: la moda masculina reformula sus prioridades en Pitti Uomo). Lastly, attention is also given to Abruzzo National Park, where photographer Carlo Lombardi has followed the tracks of the endangered brown bear (Le Monde, January 1 – En Italie, sur les traces de l’ours brun de l’Apennin*).
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