Economy – Investments in Italy take centre stage, with the progress made in the merger between Borsa Italiana and Euronext in a € 4,3 billion operation (Reuters, April 15 – Euronext gets nod from Italy’s Consob for Borsa takeover), while Credit Agricole’s interest in the national market is confirmed, again according to Reuters, by its raised bid for Credito Valtellinese (April 15 – Credit Agricole raises Creval offer in bid to secure Italian expansion). Coverage is also dedicated to relations with Asia in the news from China’s Xinhua press agency, which reports on the trading potential of the new Milan-Wuhan railway link (April 20 – News Analysis: Wuhan-Milan train link to boost trade ties between China, Italy) and the possibilities for cooperation that exist between Italy and China in the field of energy transition (April 17 – Chinese, Italian firms can cooperate in zero-carbon energy transition).
Culture – In culture, El País interviews writer Claudio Magris on the pandemic’s consequences in Europe (April 18 – Claudio Magris: “La pandemia cambiará el mundo más que la Segunda Guerra Mundial”) and tells the story of Laura Bassi, “Italy’s eighteenth-century Minerva,” a “scientist, philosopher, and the first woman to obtain a university professorship” (April 17 – Laura Bassi, la Minerva italiana del siglo XVIII*). Coverage is also devoted to the documentarian Cecilia Mangini, a main player in the online retrospective that France’s Cinémathèque du documentaire has dedicated to the figure of Pier Paolo Pasolini (Le Monde, April 16 – L’Italie pasolinienne de la documentariste Cecilia Mangini).
Style – The spotlight is on Gucci as it celebrates its centennial, with a “postmodern” collection by creative director Alessandro Michele in collaboration with Balenciaga (The Guardian, April 15 – Nose rings and glitter: Gucci reveals ‘dialogue with otherness’). Bloomberg, on the other hand, recounts the “rebound” in the brand’s sales as the “flamboyant style” makes a fashion comeback (April 20 – Gucci’s Sales Rebound as Flamboyant Style Makes a Comeback)
Food – As usual, numerous reports are devoted to food. Taking centre stage is Italian coffee and its candidacy for UNESCO World Heritage recognition (Le Nouvel Observateur, April 18 – Un espresso, prego ! Pour tout savoir de ce symbole de l’art de vivre à l’italienne) – which, according to The Wall Street Journal, raises doubts in Naples, which wants specific protection for its own espresso (April 21 – Coffee Clash: Honors for Espresso Divide Italians).
On the other hand, the German-language press pays tribute to pizza, with Frankfurt’s best pizzeria (Die Zeit, April 16 – Wo gibt es die beste Pizza in Frankfurt?), and interviews the cook Serena D’Alesio, who explains how to make perfect pasta (April 20 – So gelingt die perfekte Pasta). Coverage is also devoted to the recipe for lasagne (Sueddeutsche Zeitung, April 21 – Lieblingesswn Lasagne) and to the culinary tradition of Palermo, with pasta with cauliflower, raisins, and saffron (Der Standard, April 20 – Blumenkohl-Pasta alla palermitana).
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