A summer full of art, music and literature. Culture has attracted the lion’s share of the international press this summer when it comes to articles about Italy. El Mundo wrote about the retrospective on Tintoretto being held at the Palazzo Ducale in Venice (August 29 – Venecia se reconcilia con Tintoretto tras 500 años de celos, intrigas y juego sucio), whilst El Pais turned its attention to Lorenzo Lotto and how the portraits painted by this Italian master, currently on show in the Prado Museum in Madrid, exemplify “the profound transformation that led to the Renaissance” (August 8 – Lorenzo Lotto y el estallido de la energía individual). That same paper printed a piece about how the National Gallery in London’s decision to buy a self-portrait by Artemisia Gentileschi has prompted a resurgence of “fascination about a particularly unconstrained and atypical artist (July 27 – El último enigma de Artemisia Gentileschi). For the Wall Street Journal, it was Leonardo Da Vinci who featured in an article that looked at his early work produced during his apprenticeship under Verrocchio (August 15 – ‘Leonardo: Discoveries From Verrocchio’s Studio’ Review: Searching for a Master’s Hand*).
The Financial Times focused on the “immaculate” work of that “neoclassic master” of sculpture – Canova – who has managed to win over enthusiasts of contemporary art (August 10 – Antonio Canova, a sculptor for the selfie age*) whereas El Pais Semanal told of the rivalry between Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Francesco Borromini whose fierce competitiveness is what brought about the Baroque (August 8 – El odio entre arquitectos que acabó inventando el barroco).
On the subject of music, the Financial Times wrote about the concert, conducted by Antonio Pappano, given by the orchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in London to mark the centenary of Leonardo Bernstein’s birth (August 13 – Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, BBC Proms — satisfying on every level*) and the paper also covered an article about the Incontri in Terra di Siena, a romantic week’s worth of chamber music performed in Tuscany (August 6 – Incontri in Terra di Siena, La Foce, Italy — a Romantic week in Tuscany*). Meanwhile, le Monde was in Ravenna to visit Riccardo Muti’s Italian Opera Academy (July 26 – A Ravenne, Riccardo Muti aux sources de Verdi*) and El Pais published an interview with Andrea Bocelli that was all about the film adaptation of the tenor’s autobiography (July 27 – La historia que esconde la voz de Andrea Bocelli).
Italian literature featured in another interview, this time with Antonio Manzoni, covered in a piece in El Mundo that described him as Camilieri’s heir to the throne of Italian noir fiction (August 26 – Antonio Manzoni: “La novela negra es el mejor modo de narrar Italia”) whilst Le Monde ran a spread of photographs by Francesca Todde that explored the Catania described by the writer Goliarda Sapienza (August 7 – À Catane, dans les pas de Goliarda Sapienza, femme libre*) Photography also featured in The Guardian, in the shape of a review of the latest exhibition in Rome’s Vittoriano museum featuring images of the city on loan from the archives of the Royal Institute of British Architects (August 9 – Dome sweet dome: the glory of Rome – in pictures) and the British daily explained how the book “Vacances en Italie” featuring the work of Claude Nori depicted people immersed in the sensuality of the beaches of the Mediterranean (August 18 – Days of la dolce vita: Claude Nori’s images of Italians on holiday). The reprinting of Nori’s book of photographs also prompted an article in Le Nouvel Observateur (July 26 – Maillots en lycra, Vespa et glaces à l’eau : l’Italie vue par Claude Nori).
Luxury & fashion – Luxury Italian style featured in the Financial Times in a piece that described Ermenegildo Zegna’s takeover of US label Thom Browne (August 28 – Italy’s Ermenegildo Zegna buys US label Thom Browne*) but it was the 21 years of Angela Missoni’s time as the creative director of her family’s company and her “rainbow colored world” that interested The New York Times Style Magazine (August 14 – Inside Angela Missoni’s Rainbow-Colored World*). Then it was jewelry that featured in the WSJ Magazine in an article describing a day in the life of another creative director, Lucia Silvestri, describing her as Bulgari’s “gem hunter” always in search of the perfect stone (August 16 – A Day in the Life of Bulgari’s Creative Director Lucia Silvestri*).
Tourism – No surprise that Italian tourist destinations featured in many articles in the foreign press this summer, many of which focused on Sicily. Bloomberg with an array of 23 photographs aimed at enticing readers to start heading for the island immediately (August 8 – Why You Need to Go to Sicily Now, in 23 Epic Photos) whilst El Pais set off by train from Rome as it made its way to the Aeolian Islands, whose volcanoes, beaches and silence make then “Italy’s cinematographic archipelago” par excellence (July 10 – Volcanes, playas y silencio en las islas). And, it was a Sicilian volcano – Etna –that featured in the gallery of photographs published in the Washington Post (August 24 – Mount Etna volcano roars into action with ash and lava*).
Spain’s El Pais Semanal wrote about its visit to an old “masseria” (farmhouse) in Siracusa, and the design furniture that fills it (August 2 – Alma de verano en Sicilia) whilst for Reuters it was all about Sicilian farmers and how they are adapting to climate change by switching what they grow including, for example, avocados (August 8 – When life gives you lemons – Sicily’s farmers go tropical as climate warms) and the New York Times included Sicilian wineries in a piece about Italian oil mills and vineyards where any and all visitors to the country would enjoy spending a night (July 30 – These Olive Oil Estates and Wineries in Italy Would Love You to Stay the Night*).
Some of Italy’s other destinations always much-loved by foreign visitors also got a mention though, including Tuscany in an article in El Pais, in collaboration with Lonely Planet that took in yet more wineries, oil mills and a beautiful blue coastline (August 2 – 10 descubrimientos en la costa de la Toscana), the same paper also focused on Sardegna and 10 places off the beaten track (August 23 – Los secretos mejor guardados de Cerdeña) and a third article featured Lecce, “the city that invented its own particular Baroque style (August 25 – Lecce, la ciudad que inventó un estilo barroco proprio).Two Spanish papers featured the same article that was all about Pompeii and the newly discovered frescos in the House of Jupiter (El Pais, August 7 – Emerge en Pompeya la Casa de Júpiter y sus frescos de estilo arcaico; El Mundo, August 6 – Emerge en Pompeya la Casa de Júpiter y sus frescos de estilo arcaico.
Luxury tourism was the focus of an article in the women’s supplement, Madame Le Figaro, all about Lake Como, that paid tribute to the Villa d’Este, once a convent and now one of Italy’s legendary hotels and one of the country’s best restaurants too (August 12 – Cap sur la Villa d’Este. un couvent transformé en palace*). It also featured in a piece in Spain’s financial daily, Expansion, all about Venice, that included tips on the city’s culture and gastronomic delights (August 7 – Venecia: romanticismo, gastronomía y lujo bajo el agua). The Financial Times was also in the Veneto region to visit the woods above Valdobbiadene and the house in their midst owned by Lucio Montecchio, a professor known as the man who saves trees (August 3 – Lucio Montecchio: the man who saves trees*).
The Sueddeutsche Zeitung dedicated an ode to the Adriatic that began with places on the Veneto coastline (August 28 – Adria ti amo!) whilst other German language papers turned their attention to less well known destinations, with Austria’s Der Standard writing about the smaller islands off Italy’s coastline (August 2 – Italienische Inseln, die noch nicht so überlaufen sind) and Germany’s Die Welt celebrating the “dolce vita” still enjoyed in lesser known town in Friuli Venezia Giulia (August 4 – La Dolce Vita zwischen Alpen und Adria) whilst Die Zeit described how and why Matera has become such a popular tourist destination (August 8 – Wie es leuchtet).
Food&Wine – Pizza was the subject of several of this summer’s food and wine articles, with the Financial Times reporting on the opinion of the Associazione Pizza Verace Napoletana as to what goes in to making the perfect pizza dough (August 10 – The secrets behind the perfect pizza: from Naples to New York*) and the Washington Post wrote about 5 legends about this all time favorite that has long been a part of American culinary culture (July 20 – Five myths about pizza*). However, it is hardly surprising, that the First New York Pizza Festival is a new addition to the Columbus Day celebrations, all around the Italian American community in the US, as described by the New York Times (August 21 – Pizza, Pizza. And Then Some*).
Then, the same paper also wrote about the latest type of “sweetly rich” Carpegna ham now being sold alongside other Italian specialties in shops throughout the Big Apple (July 30 – A Richer Prosciutto Arrives in New York*).
Numerous foreign papers also provided readers with recipes for Italian dishes. Le Monde’s offering was a cuttlefish sauce (July 10 – Ragoût de seiche: la recette de Pierre Touitou*), orecchiette with turnip greens (August 12 – Orecchiette alle cime di rapa : la recette de pâtes au brocoli d’Alain Kruger*) and the simple but hearty Neapolitan dish known as “pasta saporita” (flavorful) (August 16 – Pasta saporita: la recette facile et rapide d’Alessandra Pierini*). Der Standard’s offerings, on the other hand were all about tomatoes – including how, caramelized they make the perfect side dish (August 7 – Karamellisierte Tomaten: Die perfekte italienische Beilage) and the Italian tradition of using the dried variety (August 14 – Die Essenz des Sommers: Getrocknete, eingelegte Tomaten).
German language papers also wrote about Italian restaurants abroad: Die Zeit featured Hamburg’s “Pavoni” where “harmony and Mediterranean culinary traditions meet” (August 1 – Was für ein Käse!*) whilst the Sueddeutsche Zeitung wrote about the 30 year-old tradition of Munich’s “Il Grappolo” (August 13 – Italienische Küche, ganz authentisch). The same paper ran another article all about Fico Eataly World, the world’s largest food court for gourmets (August 6 – Futter für Gino).
As to Italian wines and hard liquor, El Mundo described the beginning of the grape harvest in Italy, also explaining that exports in the first quarter of this year have beaten all the old records (August 12 – Italia ya vendimia) whilst Reuters wrote about the success being enjoyed by Spritz and its positive effects on Campari’s balance sheets (August 1 – Growing taste for Aperol ‘Spritz’ lifts spirits at Campari).
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