Culture – The articles dedicated to Italy this summer cast the spotlight on culture. Literature takes centre stage in Le Monde, which sketches a profile of Paolo Cognetti “disciple of the mountains” (July 31 – Paolo Cognetti, disciple de la montagne*), while El País, in two articles, recalls Primo Levi, explaining that “on the centennial of his birth, the Italian author’s work goes beyond the figure of irreplaceable witness to the Holocaust” (July 31 – Primo Levi, un escritor necesario, otros 100 años más; Primo Levi: el dolor de la memoria). The Spanish daily also devotes coverage to commemorating Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa and the posthumous success of his Il Gattopardo (August 25 – ‘El gatopardo’ bajo la luna en Palermo). The Guardian, on the other hand, interviews the writer and former magistrate Gianrico Carofiglio (August 24 – The philosophical crime writer: ‘You must have empathy, even for the worst criminals’). Lastly, Libération recalls the television adaptation that Vittorio De Seta made of Albino Bernardini’s Diario di un maestro (July 26 – VITTORIO DE SETA, L’ÉCOLE EST REDÉFINIE*).
Art news includes coverage of the retrospective that Rome’s Maxxi is dedicating to Sardinian artist Maria Lai (Financial Times, August 20 – Maria Lai: stories woven from the threads of a life*). Sardinia is also prominently featured in the photographs by Guido Guidi who, 35 years later, has returned to the places depicted in 1974 (Financial Times, August 15 – Guido Guidi: side roads in Sardinia*). El País, on the other hand, speaks of a “surprising urban realism,” interviewing Alex Chinneck, the artist responsible for the installation of a historic façade opened by a hinge (August 12 – El artista que ha ‘desabrochado’ una fachada histórica en Milán). Scenic art and the “meticulous” work of costume designer Piero Tosi, immortalized in Luchino Visconti’s films, are recalled by The Guardian (August 15 – Piero Tosi obituary). And in animation, Italy’s Geraldine Ottier won the Golden Falcon at the international Festival in Kéliba, Tunisia (La Presse, August 8 – Palmarès du FIFAK 2019: L’Italie, Faucon d’Or).
Lastly, in music, the Tunisian daily La Presse covers Luglio Musicale Trapanese’s participation in the 55th edition of the International Festival of Carthage (August 23 and 27 – Ce soir l’Orchestre et le choeur du July Musicale Trapanese au Théâtre romain de Carthage: Le grand gala de l’opéra italien…; “Le grand Gala de l’Opéra italie” au Festival International de Carthage: Un sublime moment de musique ).
Economy – In the economy, Financial Times covers the franchise awarded to Trenitalia along with FirstGroup to run one of “Britain’s main north-south routes” (August 14 – Italian operator and FirstGroup to run West Coast rail line*) and recounts the arrival of Maela Mandelli at Trussardi as part of the plan to relaunch the fashion group (August 28 – Trussardi hires fashion industry veteran Maela Mandelli as chief). Financial news dedicates coverage to commemorating the life of banker Fabrizio Saccomanni, chairman of UniCredit (Financial Times, August 8 – UniCredit chairman Fabrizio Saccomanni dies at 76).
Architecture, style, design – In design, The New York Times Style Magazine visits the villa created by Osvaldo Borsani in Varedo, demonstrating once again all the architect’s particular vision, and the power of Italian modernism” (August 8 – Outside Milan, a Living Testament to the Powers of Italian Modernist Design), while Le Monde tells the story of the “avant-garde” villa built by Gio Ponti for the Plancharts on the hills of Caracas (August 2 – La villa Planchart, l’Italie de Gio Ponti sur une colline de Caracas). The Wall Street Journal also dedicates coverage to the sale of Villa Poggio Torselli on the Tuscan hills (August 8 – This Tuscan Villa Comes With 40 Rooms and a $60 Million Price Tag), while El Mundo reports on Donatella Versace’s new purchase, Villa La Verbanella on Lake Maggiore ( August 8 – Donatella Versace compra por cinco millones de euros su nueva mansión en el lago Maggiore). On the other hand, a British television programme reviewed by Le Monde talks about the “extraordinary gardens” in Italian homes (2August 22 – « Monty Don’s Italian Gardens » : un tour des jardins extraordinaires d’Italie).
Style also features prominently in the motor world, with the electric version of the historic Fiat 500 Jolly built by Garage Italia, capable of “pushing automotive design beyond the limits” (Expansion, August 13 – Fiat 500 Jolly Icon-e, el coche eléctrico perfecto para bajar a la playa), and with the new Lamborghini Huracan EVO (Bloomberg, August 27 – If You Buy the New Huracan EVO, Lamborghini Will Ship Your Bags Ahead).
Tourism – The summer season brings an abundance of tourism reporting: Le Monde completes its episodic tour of Italy’s piazzas with Piazza del Campo in Siena, where “in the fourteenth century, beauty was placed at the service of politics” (July 22 – Le Campo de Sienne, en terrain neutre), Piazza Sant’Oronzo in Lecce, the artistic capital of the far south of Italy (July 25 – La place Saint-Oronce, cœur de Lecce), and Bardi, an Emilian village “rich in history” (July 27 – Bardi, capitale de la « Ritalie »).
The French daily does not neglect Matera. In fact, the broadcaster Arte dedicates an evening to this “pearl of Southern Italy,” “cradle of ‘simple cooking’ and 2019 European Capital of Culture” (August 3 – La renaissance en Italie de Matera, cité taillée dans la pierre). The Spanish daily Expansión “also pays a visit to this “proud and historic city” (August 27 – Matera, la ciudad italiana con casas excavadas en la montaña) while Die Zeit finds room for a classic like the Sistine Chapel (August 23 – Das Ende der Geschichte).
For sea destinations, The New York Times names Golfo Paradiso, in Liguria, as among the 52 places to visit in 2019 (August13 – Scenes From an Italian Summer*), while El Mundo visits the Tuscan Archipelago, an “unknown paradise in the Mediterranean” (July 31 – Las Islas Toscanas, paraíso desconocido en el Mediterráneo). Financial Times sends a “postcard” from Vendicari, the island that “encapsulates much of the island’s extraordinary history” (July 25 – Postcard from . . . Sicily’s Vendicari Nature Reserve*). German writer and Journalist Maike Albath also covers Sicily, dedicating a book, Trauer und Licht, to the island’s history (Die Zeit, August 28 – Gegen di Verachtung).
Sports – Sports coverage includes a celebration of the life of “legendary” Felice Gimondi (El Mundo, August 16 – Muere el mítico exciclista italiano Felice Gimondi), one of seven cyclists to have won cycling’s Triple Crown (The New York Times, August 17 – Italian Cycling Great Felice Gimondi Dies at Age 76*), who conquered the Tour de France the first time he competed in the race (El Pais, August 16 – Muere Felice Gimondi, el gran rival de Merckx).
Wine & Food – Various reports also cover wine & food. Financial Times puts wines in the spotlight, devoting an opinion piece to Brunello and Chianti (August 9 – From rags to riches: the rise of Brunello di Montalcino*), while Expansión recounts the saga of the house of Antinori, “the wine world’s longest-lived family,” now in its 26th generation (July 25 – Antinori, la saga toscana más longeva del mundo enológico). The New York Times reviews several Italian labels from the Langhe to the Dolomites (August 1 – From the Land of Many Grapes, Unusual Italian Reds*). El Mundo, on the other hand, explains how Barbaresco is experiencing “a golden age in terms of quality and number of producers” (August 16 – Barbaresco 2016: mucho potencial), and then joins Sueddeutsche Zeitung in the world of cocktails, commemorating the one hundredth anniversary of the Negroni, “today a key figure in a new golden age of mixology” (August 5 – Negroni: 100 años del brebaje quitapenas que inventó un conde italiano; August 28 – Negroni trank manchmal zwanzig Negroni täglich).
In cuisine, The New York Times recommends a spot for Emilian cuisine in the Big Apple (August 6 – An Outpost of Emilia-Romagna on 20th Street*) and tells the secrets of pasta all’amatriciana (July 31 – Hunting for the Real Pasta all’Amatriciana). The Austrian daily Der Standard also provides abundant coverage, with articles and blogs recommending recipes from various Italian regions: from Trentino, with gnocchi with wild spinach (August 27 – Gruß aus den Bergen: Gnocchi mit wildem Spinat) to Sicily, with ghiaccioli di frutta (August 13 – Ghiaccioli di frutta: Eis am Stiel selber machen), and continuing on to the Apulian tradition of burrata (August 20 – Tomatensalsa und Burrata auf Röstbrot: Sommerliche Vorspeise). Other dishes, recommended again in Der Standard, include string beans with capers (July 30 – Fagiolini con Capperi: Gebackene Fisolen mit Kapern) and the savoury cake Torta Salata, with buffalo mozzarella (August 6 – Torta Salata: Herzhafter Kuchen mit Büffelmozzarella und Kirschtomaten).
Lastly, Financial Times devotes coverage to the cuisine of Ancient Rome, with an exhibition that Oxford is dedicating to the “lost world” of “Epicurean excesses” rediscovered through the frescoes of Pompeii (August 1 – The lost gastronomic world of ancient Rome*).
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