Investments – A 600 dollar investment plan underlines GEs commitment to invest in Italy. The American multi-national has signed agreements that will boost its oil&gas activities in Tuscany is news that has spiked the interest of various international newspapers including, on January 29, the New York Times with an article headed – General Electric to Invest Well Over 500 Mln Euros in Italy-Sources* whilst on January 31, Reuters went with – General Electric signs $600 million investment deal in Italy, but on February 2, also found space to write about other possible investments in Italy, and in particular, the interest shown by Qatar Airways in the Italian airline, Meridiana – Italy’s Meridiana meeting on future amid Qatar Airways talk. A day later, on February 3, Les Echos focused on another kind of investment, namely government bonds, shining the spotlight on the recent record making public sale of 30 year (Italian) bonds – L’Italie bat des records pour son émission de dette à 30 ans.
The foreign press also turned its attention towards Italian investments abroad, with Reuters writing, on February 1, about Lavazza being ready to shortly close the deal to buy the French coffee group, Carte Noire for 750 billion Euros – Lavazza to seal 750 mln euro Carte Noire buy this month -sources following this up, a day later, with a piece about the engineering concern, Trevi that is about to sign up to be part of the team to repair the dam in Mosul, Iraq – Italy’s Trevi to sign Mosul dam repair contract in coming weeks. Yet more column inches were taken up with the increasing presence of yacht maker Ferretti on international markets as it targets both Asia and the Middle East, with two articles on February 3 appearing in the Financial Times and Reuters, respectively headed – Yacht-maker Ferretti targets security market and – Italian yacht maker Ferretti creates defence and security unit).
Tourism – featured in many articles this week, with the Wall Street Journal writing, on January 29, about some of the projects behind the relaunching of Rome’s ancient sea port, Ostia Antica – In Ostia, a Search for the Secrets of Rome’s Port* and on February 1, in its “home of the day” column, featuring a villa with views over the Umbrian hills – A Farmhouse Under the Umbrian Sun.
Britain’s The Times, always happy to talk about holiday destinations in Italy, published a guide, in its hefty Sunday edition of January 31, on how to spend “six sublime weeks in six of the most beautiful parts of Italy” – The classic Italian regions, done to perfection*, in which it paid particular attention to somewhere bound to be a “revelation” to British tourists as Ravenna – Revelation in Ravenna* and the nation’s Slow Food Capital Bra – Bra: slowly does it*. On January 30, France’s Libération advised that visiting underground Naples is a must, proceeding to describe a journey of discovery through the city’s numerous tunnels in search of “hidden treasure” – Naples, tout le monde descend, whilst on February 1, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung focused its attention on the Venice carnival – Dolce Lisa.
Fashion and Style – Fashion featured this week in an article, on February 1 in The Times that described the truly haute couture event involving Dolce&Gabbana at the Scala in Milan – La Scala a fitting venue for fashion, whilst another, on January 29 in Les Echos celebrated the 120 years that Berluti has been dressing its clients from head to toe – Berluti, des pieds à la tête. El Mundo, on the other hand, concentrated on Italian lifestyle in a piece, on February 1 that marked the 80 years that Cinecittà has been going strong – La Cinecittà celebra sus 80 años: así fueron los romances que fraguó, and the day before Libération dedicated a long article to the work of Italian colorist, illustrator and graphical artist Lorenzo Mattoti – Lorenzo Mattoti, l’éminence des crayons.
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