Italy: growth and creativity – 2017 was the year in which the Italian economy recovered and the Financial Times summed up the last 12 months and commented on the positive prospects of the country’s GDP as revealed in an interview with Prime Minister, Paolo Gentiloni (December 13 – Italy’s Gentiloni warns European integration is in danger). The British daily paper also wrote about how Emilia Romagna is the region to look at when it comes to Europe’s innovative trends and how it showcases the excellence of Italian manufacturing and the creativity that is behind the country’s growth (December 12 – Europe’s innovation comeback: creativity drives Italy’s growth story*).
Leading Figures – Several famous Italians featured in the foreign press this week. El País featured an interview with Alessandro Sartori, “the most powerful fashion designer of the day” who, as the Artistic Director of Ermenegildo Zegna, “translates the rigor of the today’s man on the street” (December 15 – Este italiano sabe cómo debe vestir un hombre hoy). Libération printed a couple of articles on other leading Italians, with a feature about the author and journalist Lucetta Scaraffia (December 7- Lucetta Scaraffia, ex cathedra*), and a long interview with busy photographer Oliviero Toscani and his part in the new Benetton campaign focusing on migration on integration (December 12 – Oliviero Toscani : «Les migrants, je veux aller les chercher»).
The New York Times wrote about the passing of the artist Enrico Castellani (December 12 – Enrico Castellani, Artist in the Postwar Avant-Garde, Dies at 87 ) and The Guardian looked back on the story of Toni Mascolo, who co- founded the UK hairdressing chain that started out as an adventure based in one small salon in London and went on to enjoy worldwide success (December 12 – Toni & Guy co-founder Giuseppe Toni Mascolo dies aged 75).
Culture – Several articles this week featured Italian culture. They focused the triumphant return of “Andrea Chernier” to La Scala with a first night that produced “some of the finest singing” Milan has heard in a long time (Washington Post, December 7 – ‘Andrea Chernier’ makes triumphant return to La Scala*; El País, December 8 – Una eficaz Andrea Chénier abre la temporada de La Scala). Le Monde was also in Milan, with a piece about the new exhibition mounted by the Prada Foundation and the support it provides artists whose politics mean they receive no support from the institutions in their country of origin (December 7 – Arts : à Milan, l’art du coup de poing made in Chicago*).
Italy featured in the New York Times Book Review that looked at the intimate family portrait unveiled in “The Remarkable Story of an Italian Mother, Her Two Sons, and Their Fight Against Fascism” featuring the Rosselli family from Florence (December 8 – The Remarkable Story of an Italian Mother, Her Two Sons, and Their Fight Against Fascism.
Popular culture – of the kind introduced by thousands of emigrant workers – was the focus of an article in Libération that described the influence of the many Italians who moved to Sète, on the French city’s daily life, its food and other traditions (December 8 – Sète, dolce cité*). The food blog in Austria’s Der Standard on the other hand, wrote about a Lombardy classic called “usei scapá” in which the main ingredient is small wild birds (December 12 – Usei Scapà: Lombardische Fleischrouladen mit Salbei und Speck).
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