Design –Design takes centre stage in the reporting devoted to Italy this week by the foreign media. The New York Times Style Magazine dedicates coverage to the “dynasties” of Italian luxury and fashion. “For centuries, Italy has prized the art of fashion and furniture design,” the magazine explains, “and like no other country in the world, its makers have served as cultural custodians, with generations dedicated to the craftsmanship,” preserving the “continuity and traditions of the family-run company” (April 13 – THE DYNASTIES*). Another article in the American daily covers the “maximalist” home that Italian designer Viola Lanari has in London (April 9 – A Designer Whose Home Is as Fanciful as Her Plaster Creation*), while the Spanish daily Expansión interviews Lorenzo Meazza, the Italian executive and global events manager of IKEA on the role of apartments in the era of coronavirus (April 15 – “Tu casa es una aliada ahora mismo”, Lorenzo Meazza).
Culture – Coverage is also dedicated to cultural reporting, with the opinion of the educator Francesco Tonucci on managing children’s time during isolation (El País, April 11 – Francesco Tonucci: “No perdamos este tiempo precioso dando deberes”) and with the story of Federico Fellini’s journey to Mexico in search of inspiration for a film that the Italian director ended up not shooting (Libération, April 9 – FELLINI À TULUM, LEURRE SIDÉRAL).
In El País, writer Manuel Vilas discusses the “beauty of Rome,” an “antidote to the world’s ugliness and vulgarity” (April 8 – Lugares soñados para cuando esto pase), while The New York Times recounts the quarantine and daily life from a balcony in the Eternal City (April 13 – Connecting to the World From a Balcony in Rome*).
Cuisine and the agri-food sector – There is no lack of reporting on cuisine and the products of the Italian agri-food sector. While Der Standard recommends the recipe for torta di tagliatelle, a dessert from the Emilian tradition (April 14 – Torta di tagliatelle: Der Kuchen mit Locken), Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung covers gelato during a time of crisis, with an interview with Giorgio Cedron, president of Union of Italian Ice Cream Makers in Germany (April 9 – „ Eis ist auch ein Stück Kultur und Tradition“). Lastly, there is also coverage of the generous contribution by a leader in the food sector, Barilla, that has donated funds for coronavirus research (The New York Times, April 14 – Pasta Maker Barilla Funds Cell Therapy Research for Coronavirus*).
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