Culture – This week, the foreign press focuses on Italian culture, with several reports regarding music, cinema, the visual arts, and literature. In music, El Mundo visits Cremona, the “world capital of the violin,” whose 150 violin-makers manufacture “the world’s finest instruments” (January 20 – Así es Cremona, la ciudad italiana donde se fabrican los mejores violines del mundo), while Libération reviews the “sumptuous box set” dedicated to the work of Ennio Morricone, collecting “a half century of soundtracks by the prolific Italian master” (January 19 – ENNIO MORRICONE, UN TRAVAIL DE ROMAIN*). Le Monde, on the other hand, devotes coverage to the musical artist who “in three years has become Naples’s new idol,” Liberato, whose record has come out in France (January 22 – Sur les traces de Liberato, le Daft Punk de la pop napolitaine*).
And while, in literature, El País and Sueddeutsche Zeitung report the creation of Dantedì, the new Italian national holiday dedicated to Dante Alighieri (January 17 – Italia proclama el 25 de marzo día nacional de Dante Alighieri; Italien schafft Dante-Gedenktag am 25. März), other publications cover cinema. Financial Times retraces the artistic trajectory of Federico Fellini (January 17 – Federico Fellini at 100 and the myth of realism*), while The Guardian recalls the late Lorenza Mazzetti, the Italian filmmaker who took part in the British Free Cinema movement, and who passed away at 91 years of age (January 20 – Lorenza Mazzetti obituary). El Mundo reports on Pintores y reyes del Prado, a film by first-time director Valeria Parisi, written by the Italian journalist Sabina Fedelli (January 20 – Ropa Tendida: el Prado y el cine español). Photography is also covered with the retrospective that Venice is devoting to the 50-year career of Sicilian photographer Ferdinando Scianna (The Guardian, January 22 – Fashion, fighting and feral dogs – the photography of Ferdinando Scianna). Lastly, popular and culinary culture take centre stage in Der Standard, which offers the recipe for spaghetti alla nerano, following the tradition of the Amalfi Coast (January 21 – Spaghetti alla Nerano: Pasta mit Zucchini und Provolone).
Luxury – Numerous reports are dedicated to luxury: The New York Times recounts the “dash of color” in Armani’s new collection (January 21 – Armani Pairs Stern Tailoring With Vibrant Colors for Paris Show*) and emphasizes Prada’s investment in relating with its customers, with exclusive parties and an “experience money can’t buy” (January 20 – Inside Prada’s Pop-Up Private Club*). Customer experience is also the focus for Loro Piana which, according to Financial Times, addresses a global “nomadic elite” with exclusive fabrics (January 17 – How Loro Piana serves ‘nomadic elite’ with €7,000 cashmere coats*).
While Die Welt recounts the 5 new luxury electric car models by Pininfarina (January 22 – Modellausblick: Pininfarina), Reuters also devotes coverage to real estate, with Hines’s investment in Milan’s “landmark” Velasca Tower, which the American developer plans to transform into a “luxury office-led complex” (January 16 – Hines snaps up Milan’s landmark Velasca Tower from Unipol). The Fuera de Serie supplement of the Spanish daily Expansión covers furniture, with the Minotti pieces “that unite present and future” and are present in 60 countries, thanks to an entrepreneurial adventure that has been going on for 70 years (January 22 – Minotti, los muebles italianos de lujo que aúnan pasado y futuro).
Sustainability – Growing numbers of articles are dedicated to sustainability. Reuters reports on Intesa Sanpaolo’s willingness to fund € 50 billion in “green investments” as part of the European Green Deal (January 16 – Intesa Sanpaolo CEO says ready to fund 50 billion euros in green investments) and covers the new eco-friendly tarmac at Fiumicino airport, thanks to the innovative asphalt produced by the Italian company Iterchimica (January 22 – Rome’s Fiumicino airport tests pioneering eco-friendly tarmac). Lastly, Les Echos announces the investment the French ecotourism group Coucoo is aiming to make in Italy, with a facility to be identified between Milan and Turin (January 21 – Le spécialiste de l’écotourisme Coucoo va se nicher en Italie*).
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