Prospects for recovery – The ECB’s Quantitative Easing could help the Italian economy. It was the Financial Times that explained hopes for recovery, starting from the vinyards of Trebbiano in Abruzzo (January 23 – Draghi’s bond buying gives cheer for Abruzzo vineyard*). The CEO of Intesa Sanpaolo shares that optimism. Carlo Messina, interviewed by the Wall Street Journal during the World Economic Form of Davos, declared that he was convinced that this year would be transformative for Italy (January 23 – An Italian Optimist in Davos). And the New York Times wrote about the changes in the way Italy is perceived thanks to the new ad by the Ministry of Development that overthrows the stereotypes in the way Italy is viewed (January 23 – Italy Promo Gets Thumbs Up for Turning Stereotypes Around). Moreover, there are also positive signs from industrial groups such as Fiat, which – as the Financial Times and Wall Street Journal point out – is showing record profits in Europe (January 28, Fiat records first quarterly profit in Europe since 2007*; Fiat Chrysler Gives Upbeat Outlook, Turns Profit in Europe*).
Style & Made in Italy – There were also numerous mentions of style and design. Bloomberg Businessweek reported that the luxury carmaker Bentley chose Italy to propose a new line of furnishing (January 23 – Bentley Drives Italian Furniture Line Into the Home). The Financial Times also wrote about interior design, rediscovering the classic Sedia Universale by Joe Colombo, an emblem of the optimism in Italy of the 1960s (January 23 – Design classic: the Sedia Universale chair by Joe Colombo*).
The British financial paper also turned its attention to fashion, exploring the renewal of the Neapolitan tradition of tailoring (January 28 – Tailors from Naples are back in style*), while the Spanish Expansion concentrated on engines, reporting on how Ducati reached a record of registrations in 2014 (January 24 – Ducati matricula más motos que nunca en 2014). Finally, style can also be found in real estate: the New York Times examined the property values found in Tuscany, with its villas, country homes and castles (January 28 – Life of Italian Nobility for Sale, Complete With Regulations and Taxes*).
Cuisine and Agribusiness – The foreign press also showed interest in agribusiness. Reuters wrote about the strategies of Lavazza to financial new acquisitions (January 27 – Italy’s Lavazza to cut Keurig stake to fund acquisitions) and Bloomberg Businessweek concentrated on Marsala, telling readers where to find the best among the many very good Sicilians wines (January 26 – Marsala Wine Is Coming Back. Here’s Where to Get the Best of It). Finally, Die Zeit, reported on the successful blog on Italian cooking by Valerian Necchio (January 25 – Little Italy in London).
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