Internationalization of Italian businesses – Italian media and businesses are targeting International markets. That was the focus last week of the foreign press’s interest in Italy. It started with a report on the wind power project of Enel Green Power in Chile (Bloomberg, 5 December- Enel Green Power Starts $190 Million Wind Farm in Chile), turned to Banca Imi, which is preparing to expand in the Americas (Reuters, 11 December- Banca IMI preps Americas expansion), and continued with Dr. Schar, which is planning a non-glutine factory in Brazil (Valor Economico, 5 December- Italiana Dr Schär, de alimento sem glúten, planeja fábrica em três anos*).
And while Mediobanca wants to strengthen its presence in France (Les Echos, 10 December- Mediobanca va renforcer sa présence en France), other groups are looking at Asia. This includes Barilla, which is testing some products in China (Reuters, 5 December- Italy’s Barilla tests Chinese tastes for wok pasta) and Lavazza, which sees India as its key market (The Hindu BusinessLine, 10 December- Lavazza here for the long term, says MD).
Culture – Reports on cultural events natural started with articles on the opening of La Scala (Washington Post, 7 December- Barenboim bids La Scala farewell with ‘Fidelio’; Reuters, 8 December– Barenboim’s ‘Fidelio’ wows La Scala opera buffs at season opener), but also included other articles on music. That included a piece on the concert by the Orchestra of the Turin Teatro Regio in New York at the Big Apple’s Eataly (Wall Street Journal, 7 December- Turin orchestra performs at NYC food emporium*) and the restoration of the Arena of Verona, the amphitheatre that hosts one of the world’s best opera festivals (New York Times, 17 December- Verona’s Arena to Get $17.5 Million Restoration*).
There was also a great deal of attention on cinema. The Wall Street Journal reported on the rebirth of Cinecittà, where the remake of Ben Hur will be shot in 2015 (8 December- La Dolce Corporate Welfare*), the New York Times reviewed Paolo Virzi’s film “The Human Capital” (16 December- A Portrait of Italy Today Based on an American Thriller) and El Pais wrote about the Italian Film Festival in Barcelona, with its different points of view on the Bel Paese (14 December- Películas que desmontan tópicos).
There were also pieces on art, for example a review of the exhibition of Renaissance art in Washington (Washington Post, 5 December- Renaissance artworks depicting Mary featured in DC) and a retrospective that the Reina Sofia Museum of Madrid dedicated to the sculptor Lucian Fabro (El Pais, 13 December- Luciano Fabro, arte ecléctico).
Lifestyle – There were a number of articles on Italian lifestyle. There were report on fashion: the collections of Valentino (New York Times, 11 December- A Valentino Collection Tailored to New York*) Ferragamo and Missoni (Bloomberg Businessweek, 11 December- From Ferragamo to Missoni, sneakers tread a trend), as well as articles on engines produced in Italy (O Globo, 15 December- Ducati atinge 1 milhão de motos produzidas na Itália). The New York Times recalled a star of racing, Vincenzo Lancia, the Leonarda Da Vinci of V6 engines ” (12 December- Working in Postwar Italy, He Was the da Vinci of the V6) El Mundo paid tribute to Elio Sorci, the legend of Dolce Vita paparazzi ” (9 December- El paparazzi mejor pagado de la ‘dolce vita’) and L’Express wrote about Christmas culinary traditions (17 December- Le Noël à l’italienne de Laura Zavan).
Tourism – The reports on tourist destinations started with Milan, where El Mundo visited the new Bosco Verticale of Studio Boeri (El Mundo, 12 December- Un rascacielos con bosque vertical), and then sought the best way of renting a house in the Italian Alps (The Times, 11 December- Look to Italy for affordable ski homes*). As the Wall Street Journal wandered through the peninsula, it discovered the Italian perfection of the Argentario (5 December- Hotel Il Pellicano Offers Italian Perfection*), O Globo started its journey though Italian cuisine in Emilia (17 December- Italia das iguairas), and the Washington Post visited the Jewish Museum of Rome (4 December- Rome’s Jewish Museum shows how Ghetto was in 1880s). Further south, the New York Times spoke about the good life in Capri (11 December- Living the Good Life on an Italian Island*) and the cultural melting pot of the historic center of Palermo (15 December- A Perfect Car for Palermo’s Melting Pot*).
* marked articles viewable online upon payment or registration