“Italy has a new president” – The clearest headline was undoubtedly that of Time (Italy Has a New President) but numerous foreign papers reported the news on January 31 that Sergio Mattarella had been elected to the Quirinale. The Financial Times underlined his stature of Mafia enemy and champion of the law (Sergio Mattarella: enemy of the Mafia and champion of the law*), reporting on the swearing in ceremony in its Photo Diary (February 4 – Welcoming Sergio Mattarella); the New York Times and O Globo emphasized his last position as judge of the Constitution Court (Italy Elects Senior Judge Sergio Mattarella as President*; Juiz Sergio Mattarella é eleito presidente da Itália); Le Monde ran a piece about the best wishes of François Hollande (Sergio Mattarella élu président en Italie) and tells the story of the man who was born twice and how he entered politics after his brother, Piersanti, was killed (February 2 – Sergio Mattarella, un président italien au-dessus de tout soupçon) and L’Express wrote a similar article (Qui est Sergio Mattarella, nouveau président de l’Italie?). And while Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, underlining his perseverance (“Gute Arbeit, Präsident Mattarella!), El Mundo emphasized his bet on growth, obviously his first speech before Parliament (February 3 – Sergio Mattarella jura como presidente de Italia y apuesta por el crecimiento). Die Welt, finally, pointed out new Chief of State’s opposition to the Mafia and corruption (Mattarella sagt der Mafia den Kampf an).
There was other news about the new President of Italy in the Washington Post (January 31 – Italy’s lawmakers elect Sergio Mattarella as president); Die Zeit (January 31 – Sergio Mattarella ist neuer Präsident Italiens); Valor Economico (January 31 – Sergio Mattarella é eleito novo presidente da Itália*); Expansion (February 1 – Italia vota a Sergio Mattarella como nuevo presidente de la República).
Style and fashion – The foreign press also published articles on fashion and Made in Italy. Les Echos reported on how Bulgari is building the largest jewelry making facility in Europe (February 4 – L’italien Bulgari va construire la plus grande manufacture joaillière d’Europe*), while Reuters explained that the fashion web site Yoox has met analysts’ expectations, showing a growth in sales of over 15% (February 4 – Italy’s Yoox meets forecast with 15 pct rise in 2014 sales).
Other articles were dedicated to engine luxury. That was the case of the new Ferrari 488 GTB, a seductive vehicle with a soul fed by a more powerful and efficient engine, reported on by the Washington Post (January 31 – Ferrari unveils new ‘sexy’ car for 2015), Bloomberg Businessweek (February 3 – Ferrari Introduces a Turbo Engine In The New 488 GTB), O Globo (3 – Ferrari mostra imagens da 488 GTB, sucesora da 458 Italia) and El Mundo, February 3 – Ferrari 488 GTB: alma sobrealimentada).
Cooking – There was also interest in cooking, with numerous articles from the New York Times. The American paper offered its readers the recipe of parmigiana, a dish that warms the cockles of the heart (January 30 – Parm Dishes to Warm Weary Souls*), visited the Bulgari hotel of Milan which periodically hosted chefs of international fame (January 31 – At Bulgari Hotel Milan, Renowned Chefs Are Guests*), and went to Langhe to taste Nebbiolo (January 29 – Your Next Lesson: Langhe Nebbiolo*). El Mundo also wrote about wine, travelling to Chianti, not an ideal place for teatotallers (February 4 – Chianti no es país para abstemios).
Tourism and culture – Finally, the Washington Post carried several articles on its cultural pages: a review of an exhibition in the US capital on Piero di Cosimo, the misunderstood master of the 15th century (January 31 – Piero di Cosimo, a misunderstood master, at the National Gallery of Art) and a suggestion to visit Venice during the Carnival, a spectacle for the senses (February 1 – Venice Carnival kicks off with spectacle for the senses).
* marked articles viewable online upon payment or registration