The interest of investors – While the foreign press showed increased interest in Italian politics, it also reserved space last week to discuss some positive signals in the economy. This is the case of the latest bond auction on February 12, with yields at the lowest levels since 2006 (Expansion – Italia sigue los pasos de España y su bono toca mínimos de 2006; El Pais – La deuda italiana marca mínimos desde 2006 en plena crisis política). This was a record low of Italian borrowing costs with an increase in bonds sold, amounting to 8 billion euros (Businessweek – Italy Sells Debt at Record Low as Investors Shrug Off Tensions).
Certainly, the growing interest of international investors in real estate (explained on February 13 by the Morrocan l’Economiste– L’immobilier retrouve des couleurs) might soon be seen in the area of privatization. The Financial Times interviewed Massimo Sarmi, CEO of the Italian Postal system on that very topic (February 12 – Italy readies “strange animal” postal group for sell-off*).
Tourism, from Bergamo to Etna – There were, as usual, numerous suggestions for visits to Italy in the foreign press. The Times wrote about a weekend in Bergamo, whose elegant streets are a taste of authentic Italy ” (February 8 – A weekend in… Bergamo, Italy *), while El Pais went all the way to the slopes of Etna where the ruins of Taormina meld with the traces of all the Mediterranean cultures as well as refined eating (February 7 – Pizzas crujientes frente al Etna). And while the New York Times went to Umbria to discover the charm of the second hand bridal gowns collected by the nuns of the Convent of Santa Rita da Cascia (February 11 – An Italian Monastery Becomes a Fashion Destination for Brides in a Frugal Era), El Mundo dedicated a photo gallery of striking panoramas of the heel of Italy, from Trani to Gallipoli, passing by Lecce (February 10 – Panorámicas del tacón de Italia).
Art, cinema and design – There were also articles on the cultural pages. El Pais visited the exhibit “Themes and Variations, the Empire of Light” at the Peggy Guggheneim Collection – Venice, a sensorial dialogue among 54 works from yesterday and today (February 10 – Jugando con la luz en Venecia). And Les Echos published an article on Gaetano Pesce, father of Italian design. Pesce’s name is already included in the history of the 20th century and his creations are being exposed prior to an auction at Sotheby’s in Paris (February 7 – Gaetano Pesce, un designer déjà dans l’histoire).
Food and Wine – The Times travelled to Campania to tell the story of Antonio Mastrobernardino, the winemaker who wanted to recreate the ancient wines of Pompei (February 7 – Antonio Mastroberardino: Italian winemaker*), while Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung explained the recipe of the world famous Bolognese sauce (February 10 – Ihre Heimat ist die Welt). Finally, El Pais published a review of the film “Happy Family” by Gabriele Salvatores, with tones of Pirandello (7 – Salvatores busca a Pirandello).
* marked articles viewable online upon payment or registration