Profits rise for IntesaSanPaolo, things get better for Generali – More quarterly reports are out and the foreign press highlighted Italian groups. The 22% rise in profits at IntesaSanPaolo was reported on May 15 by the Washington Post Italian bank Intesa SanPaolo profits rose 22 percent in first quarter on higher trading profit), the Financial Times (May 15 – Intesa Sanpaolo reports 22% profit rise*) and the Brazilian paper Valor Economico (Lucro do banco italiano Intesa Sanpaolo cresce no primeiro trimestre*).Les Echos ran a piece on Generali, explaining that things started looking up for Lion of Trieste during the year’s first quarter (May 14, Generali conforté dans ses objectifs 2012*).
Italian Fashion Abroad – The foreign press kept up interest in the international growth of Made in Italy products. Le Figaro, which repeatedly focuses on Italian groups, reported on the “big step” made by Ferragamo (May 15 – Un grand pas en avant pour Salvatore Ferragamo*), while the Financial Times featured a story on how the Marangoni Institute, a Milan school of fashion, has landed in Shanghai (May 18 – Marangoni to school China in fashion).
Cinema, espresso and tourism – As usual, Italian culture, cinema in particular, received considerable attention in the foreign press. Les Echos ran a profile of Nanni Moretti, President of the Jury at the 65th Cannes Film Festival (May 18 – Nanni Moretti, en vue) and China Daily explored the Far East Film Festival of Udine (May 13 – Film festival bridges gap). Writing about tourism, the Washington Post took an unusual, four-stop “spiritual” journey to find the best espresso blends in Italy (May 11 – In Italy, a spiritual search for the essence of espresso). The approach of La Nacion was decidedly more traditional, with a visit to the Uffizi Galleries in Florence (May 13 – El pasillo de los grandes).
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