Economy – The positive performance of Italian industry and the economy being more solid than it is perceived to be abroad have been the topics that have featured most in financial stories about Italy reported in the international press this week. Bloomberg reported on the “unexpected” increase in manufacturing output which has, in turn, brought about a more optimistic view on the prospects for growth (February 10 – Italy’s Industry Output Unexpectedly Rises Amid Growth Optimism). The same media company ran an interview with Fernando Napolitano, President of Italian Business & Investment Initiative exploring his views on Italy’s economic prospects (February 13 – Fernando Napolitano on Italy: Economy Solid Despite Perception). Reuters, on the other hand, explained how increased manufacturing costs in China are effecting production in the textile sector, especially with regard to better quality items from the Biella district in Piedmont (February 13 – China’s pain, Italy’s gain: high costs push textile buyers west). Meantime, la Presse outlined how Italy is getting ready to become Tunisia’s most important commercial partner (February 11 – L’Italie pourrait devenir le premier partenaire économique) and the New York Times reported on how Enel’s success and greater than anticipated profits mean it has confirmed its targets (February 9 – Enel Confirms Targets After Core Earnings Beat Guidance*). Le Matin, told its readers that Alfa Romeo had been awarded the prize for “the most beautiful car in 2016” for its new Giulia (February 14 – L’Alfa Romeo Giulia élue “plus belle voiture de l’année 2016).
Culture – El País described the “revolution” underway in the Uffizi as the Florentine gallery sets out to relaunch its collection and fight against it becoming too “homogenized” (February 11 – La revolución de los Uffizi), and the same Spanish paper reviewed “Magnani Aperta”, the show currently on stage in Madrid that tells the story of a day in the life of the great Italian actress (February 11 – Anna Magnani vive sus últimas horas en Madrid).
Tourism – The influence of St. Valentine’s day was clear to see this week in articles about tourism in Italy, with Bloomberg including the Benedictine Abbey of San Fruttuoso in an article with suggestions of where a would-be groom might want to get down on one knee (February 13 – Forget the Eiffel Tower, These Are the World’s Best Places to Propose), whilst it was the special opening of the House of Chaste Lovers in Pompeii to mark the big day that attracted the attention of Le Monde (February 14 – Pour la Saint-Valentin, les amants chastes se donnent rendez-vous à Pompéi*).
Meantime el País took the opportunity to provide its “single” readers with some ideas of where to escape alone, with Rome and the Amalfi Coast included in its top 10 (February 13 – 10 escapadas para solteros).
It was the Venetian jewelry shop, Casa Codognato that featured in Bloomberg article, revealing how it has been helping celebrities, artists and members of Royal families express their love with surprise home deliveries of jewelry since 1866 (February 8 – Venice’s Jeweler to the Stars Is Also Its Best-Kept Secret).
The Guardian bucked the trend however, choosing to publish a photographic feature on “one of the most spectacular street events in Italy” (February 14 – Fantastic floats at the Carnival of Viareggio).
Fashion and style of interest to tourists featured in two articles about Milan this week, with the Wall Street Journal describing, where to go for an aperitif in Italy’s most sophisticated city (February 14 – A Classic-to-Quirky Cocktail Tour of Milan*), whilst el País suggested readers might enjoy visiting the Palazzo Morando to see the exhibition of shoes by the Spanish designer Manolo Blahnik (February 10 – Los ‘stilettos’ de Manolo Blahnik celebran en Milán su 45º aniversario).
Food – There were plenty of food related stories this week, with le Monde printing the personal interpretation of a traditional Apulian recipe by a famous French journalist (February 10 – Les orecchiette alle cime di rapa d’Alain Kruger) before going on to suggest the best place in Paris to eat a truly Neapolitan pizza (February 15 – À table avec François Simon : chez Da Graziella, la pizza est vraiment napolitana). El Mundo advised its readers the best place to go to in Madrid to learn how cook Italian food – and then eat it (February 9 – Aprende a preparar cocina italiana: Pasta di Fabri) and l’Orient Le Jour described the evenings dedicated to the Italian way of life at the Italian Cultural Institute in Beirut (February 13 – L’art de vivre à l’italienne au casino du Liban) whilst Austria’s der Standard explained how to prepare the perfect tiramisù (February 14 – Eine italienische Versuchung: Tiramisu).
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