Google bets on Italian glasses – Making Google Glass fashionable is the next challenge facing Luxottica. The foreign press reported that Mountain View management has chosen the largest eyewear maker to add appeal to a product that has so far been eyed by the cyborg crowd, the techies tecnologia (March 25 su Financial Times – Google looks to Ray-Bans to give Glass specs appeal; Wall Street Journal – Google Deal With Luxottica Will Bring Glass to Ray-Ban, Oakley; New York Times – Biggest Eyewear Company Signs On With Google Glass ; Bloomberg Businessweek – Google Partners With Ray-Ban, Oakley Eyewear Maker). As well as offering long term economic benefits, this agreement also has immediate financial gains, as seen in the positive performance of the Italian multinational on the stock exchange (Washington Post, March 25 – Luxottica shares rise sharply on Google Glass deal). However, even though Luxottica is the top interest in the foreign press, there was also interest in other Italian ventures abroad. In Brazil, according to Valor Economico, Ferrero has been investing to expand its factory in the state of Minas Gerais (March 20 – Ferrero Rocher faz aporte recorde em MG), and the mechanics giant Argo is planning to build a new tractor factory in the Latin American country (March 27 – Montadora italiana Argo vai construir fábrica no Brasil*).
Americans in Rome – The spotlights were on the capital for the visit of Barack Obama, as well as the new American investors in AS Roma. The foreign press of course covered the tourism of the American President (El Pais, March 25 – De turismo por Roma con Obama), but also the investment in the capital soccer team and James Pallotta, the team president. According to the New York Times, the team is heading towards a new Renaissance (March 25 – American Owners Oversee a Soccer Renaissance in Rome ), while other papers reported on plans for the new stadium, a modern Coliseum for the Eternal City (March 26 su Washington Post – A modern Colosseum: Roma reveals new stadium plan; Financial Times – Boston fund manager plans new AS Roma stadium; Wall Street Journal – Deal for a New Stadium for AS Roma). Bloomberg Businessweek also stayed in Rome and went to the city center to describe Bulgari’s sponsorship of the restoration planned for the Spanish Steps (March 20 – Rome’s iconic Spanish Steps getting a face-lift).
Luxury goods and art made in Italy – The foreign press also showed continued interest for the made in Italy. The Financial Times in particular ran a piece on the new efforts of Matteo Marzotto (CEO of the Fair of Venice) to relaunch traditional Italian gold working (March 26 – Matteo tto reveals his plans to revitalise his country’s gold industry). And the Barcelona daily La Venguardia wrote a more intimate piece about another figure of Italian fashion, Ermenegildo Zegna (March 23 – Ermenegildo Zegna, en la intimidad*).
The foreign press also wrote about Italian art. El Pais reported on the Futurists, the subject of an exhibit at the Guggenheim of New York (March 24 Futurismo, la belleza de la violencia) and, with a journey through Northern Italy, wrote about oday’s art scene in Milan and Turin (March 21 – Milán y Turín, ventanas al arte). Interest in the Piedmont capital was also shown by the New York Times, which reported on the city’s cultural scene. (March 26 – Turin Seizes Its Moment *).
Tourism and culinary arts – As always, there were numerous recommendations about places to visit. The Financial Times suggested trekking in the majestic Dolomites (March 21 – Trekking in the mighty Dolomites) and an architectural tour of the gardens of Venice in Veneto (March 21 – Three Italian gardens that reflect their founders’ goodwill). The passion for the city of lagoons was also seen in the Wall Street Journal article on unusual adventures among the canals (March 21 Unusual Adventures in Venice). Finally, there was food galore: The Times offered a guide to the best culinary festivals to be found in the Belpaese (March 23 – Italy’s best food festivals) and there was advice for making an Italian meal, thanks to a video about Prosecco (Wall Street Journal, March 27 – Video: One-Minute Wine: Prosecco With Will Lyons ) and the recipe for spaghetti with bottarga (Financial Times, March 21 – Recipe: spaghetti with bottarga).
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