Italy – economy and industry – Again last week the foreign press showed its interest in Italy’s economy and industry. O Globo wrote about the forecasts of Minister Pier Carlo Padoan on the growth of the GDP (+0.8%) in 2014 (April 20 –Ministro italiano prevê expansão de mais de 0,8% na economia do país em 2014), while Bloomberg again cast its eye on the excellent performance of Italian bond sales (April 22 – Italian Bonds Outperform Bunds on Bets of Further ECB Stimulus). The Times again reported on the appointment of women to the boards of Eni, Enel and the Italian Postal system (April 21 – Italy turns to women executives*), while other papers showed an interest in the automotive industry. Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg both reported on the new models produced in China by Fiat-Chrysler (April 19 – Fiat, Chrysler to Build Jeep Vhicles in China for Country’s Market*; Fiat and Chrysler to build 3 Jeep models in China) and the China Daily examined the new Maserati models produced for the carmaker’s hundredth anniversary (20 – Maserati marks 100 years with three new models).
Italian holiday – Learning how to steer a gondola in Venice, discovering Milan with the most innovative smart phone apps, and visiting the new areas open to the public in Pompei. Last week, the foreign press made a number of trips to discover Italy. The capital of Veneto received the most mentions: the Washington Post instructed readers on how to take lessons to become an amateur gondolier (April 17 – In Venice, learning to row your own boat, while, as the Biennial – known as the only truly international event of its kind – approaches, Le Monde wrote about the architecture fever in the city (April 19 – De Koolhaas à Piano, fièvre architecturale en Vénétie). The Daily Beast stayed on the lagoon, running an article on the legends of the Island of Povenglia, one of the properties being sold by the state (April 18 – You Can Own the Spookiest Island in Venice…If You’re Brave Enough).
And while Bologna and Florence are among the 21 finalists of the competition organized by the Bloomberg Foundation and dedicated to innovative ideas in an urban setting (Washington Post, April 23 – Finalists in Bloomberg European city contest), Die Zeit visited Miland, suggesting sites and apps that can help tourists visit the city and find the best aperitif around (April 17 Mailand im Netz). Meanwhile, L’Orient le Jour went to the capital to report on Rome’s 2767th anniversary (April 22 Rome fête son 2.767e anniversaire). Finally, the Washington Post and O Globo both went to Pompei, where new areas of the archeological site were opened to the public. (April 17 – Scenes of Pompeii;Pompeia abre novas áreas ao público).
Tasty Italy – According to the Financial Times, the American thirst for cocktails has raised sales of the aperitif used in the classic Negroni, and increased the success of Campari in the United States. The Sesto San Giovanni company has seen sales gone up by 12% a year (April 21 –Campari toasts US cocktail’s renaissance*). On the other hand, the passion for Italian taste is still alive in London as well, where The Times wrote about the Italian herbs that chef Antonio Carluccio uses (April 20 –Antonio Carluccio’s key ingredients*). And in Paris a first class restaurant, Penati al Baretto, opened on rue Balzac (L’Express, April 16 Penati al Baretto (Paris 8e), la classe transalpine).
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