Culture – Several culturally inspired articles appeared in the international press this week. Les Echos was in Venice for the Dance Biennial declaring that the exhibition had really “taken off” (June 29 – A la Biennale de Venise la danse prend le large*) and El País explained how the Rome Opera was taking Don Giovanni out into the city’s suburbs thanks to a transportable stage (July 2 – La ópera se mete en un camión en busca del vecino de la periferia).
Cinema also got a mention with the passing of much loved actor and “popular genial icon” Paolo Villaggio, who was featured in El País, Le Monde and L’Orient-Le Jour (July 4 – Adiós Fantozzi, entrañable héroe vil de la clase trabajadora; Paolo Villaggio, acteur fétiche de la comédie italienne, est mort*; L’acteur comique italien Paolo Villaggio est mort). France’s Libération, on the other hand, was excited to meet the Italian actress and “performer” Asia Argento (July 4 – ASIA ARGENTO, LES INFORTUNES DE LA VERTU). And the German language papers were celebrating Italy’s answer to Marilyn Monroe – Gina Lollobrigida – on the occasion of her 90th birthday (on July 4 in Handelsblatt – Gina Lollobrigida wird 90 and the Sueddeutsche Zeitung –“La Lollo” weiß immer noch zu feiern).
Science was another topic to appear in the foreign press, with El País writing about the composition of cement in the days of Ancient Rome, noting how very resistant it was to water (July 3 – Descubierto el ingrediente secreto que explica la fuerza del hormigón de la antigua Roma).
Reuters, the New York Times and die Zeit however, were all on the slopes of Mt. Etna to find out about an international project that is testing new lunar robots (July 4 – Lunar robots put to the test on Sicily’s Mount Etna; Lunar Robots Put to the Test on Sicily’s Mount Etna; Forscher proben für die Mondmission).
Fashion and Style – also featured this week with Libération writing about the latest Pitti Uomo shows in a Florence where “extraordinarily elegant men” could be spotted amongst the tourists (July 3 – LE PITTI, HOT SPOT DE LA MODE MASCULINE).
Other papers were keen to celebrate the birthday of Italy’s most famous and iconic car, the Fiat 500, which, thanks to the success of its new look some 60 years after it first appeared, is now aiming to take on the premium segment of the market. (Les Echos, July 3 – Fiat 500 : la douce recette d’un succès; Expansión, July 4 – El Fiat 500 o Cinquecento cumple 60 años como el coche italiano más icónico).
Tourism is an obligatory summer topic and a photographic gallery in The Guardian showed the most recent Palio in Siena (July 3 – Palio di Siena horse race – in pictures), whilst El País was busy exploring two new fashion districts in Rome, Ostiense and Garbatella, where factories “have left space for museums and cultural centers” to spring up (June 30 – Dos barrios alternativos de Roma que están de moda).
The usual luxury property section of the Wall Street Journal suggested readers might want to consider buying on particular property in Tuscany (June 29 – A Tuscan Villa With an Artistic Pedigree*).
Food & Wine – This section of Libération featured the Messina family from Cefalù and its commitment to sharing all the many aspects of the island’s food culture in their Paris eateries (June 30 –FAMILLE MESSINA, L’ÉPATE À LA SICILIENNE).
The New York Times explained, in its food blog, City Kitchen, why it would be so hard to imagine Sicilian cuisine without eggplants (June 30- Eggplant Favorites, Rooted in Sicily*). Der Standard,’s A modo mio section paid tribute to the ever popular pasta dish, bucatini all’amatriciana (July 4 –Bucatini all’amatriciana: Rustikales Nudelgericht). The Financial Times’ expert Rachel Roddy, on the other hand, provided readers with suggestions on where to eat typical Roman fare (June 30 – My addresses: food writer Rachel Roddy on Rome*).
And to conclude this week’s press round up, the success that the Italian coffee brand, Lavazza, is currently enjoying in many places around the world, and it’s growing international presence, was the subject of an article that appeared in the Sueddeutsche Zeitung (July 3 – Kaffee aus der Wolke).
*Article available for pay / at registration