Economy– Innovation and growth take centre stage in the reporting that the foreign press has dedicated to the Italian economy. In the spotlight is Financial Times’s interview with Vittorio Colao, explaining how the digital transition minister vows to “simplify the system and draw investment” (May 16 – Vittorio Colao vows to fix Italy’s red tape bureaucracy*). On the other hand, the Chinese press agency Xinhua emphasizes Rome and Peking’s desire to “deepen bilateral ties” from the economic perspective as well (May 17 – China, Italy pledge to deepen bilateral ties, advance China-EU cooperation)
Corporate affairs are also covered, with Reuters looking at growth in external lines for Granarolo which, after an acquisition in the United Kingdom, is eying the American market (May 17 – Food group Granarolo eyes M&A in U.S. after buying British unit), and Expansión recounting the purchase of the Spanish Seteco by Zucchetti Spain, a “branch of the Italian management software giant” (May 18 – Zucchetti Spain se hace con la guipuzcoana Seteco*). Quarterly reports are also covered, with Generali beating analysts’ expectations (Reuters, May 18 – Generali profits beat forecasts led by asset management, non-life), while, for foreign investment in Italy, Financial Times interviews Diego Della Valle on the future of Tod’s and on LVMH’s role in the Italian luxury group (May 19 – Tod’s chief Diego Della Valle open to future stake sales to LVMH; with video interview – Tod’s CEO Diego Della Valle plans for the future).
Tourism – The loosening of anti-Covid restrictions is leading operators to glimpse a recovery for tourism, an “industry that accounts for 14% of country’s GDP” as The Guardian explains (May 19 – ‘We’re hoping for a good season’: Italy prepares to welcome back tourists). On this topic, Handelsblatt interviews Minister Massimo Garavaglia (May 15 – Massimo Garavaglia: „Im Sommer brauchen wir keine Angst vor neuen Wellen zu haben“), while optimism for the upcoming summer season is also featured in a Xinhua launch (May 17 – Italy reopens to int’l tourism, sparking optimism for businesses).
Financial Times offers its readers Italian holiday destinations: the British daily includes the Dolomites and Etna among the “10 best climbs” in Europe (May 17 – The 10 best climbs in Europe) and recommends La Foce in Val d’Orcia among the resorts at which to “excite the senses and fill the soul” (May 14 –Travel news: where to find your new utopia*). Lastly, it makes a stop in Rome, where it recommends 5 cocktail bars for grasping the “spirit of the city” (May 13 – Spirit of a city: five cocktails to whisk you to Rome*).
Culture – Cultural reports celebrate the life of the late Franco Battiato (El País, May 18 – Muere el músico Franco Battiato a los 76 años; Muere Franco Battiato: la vida del músico italiano en imágenes), the “artist who was able to bring to the broader public his sound arising from the depths of experimental music and from progressive rock” (El País, May 18 – ‘Yo quiero verte danzar’ y otras cinco grandes canciones de Franco Battiato) and who “though hugely popular … never stopped experimenting” (The New York Times, May 19 – Franco Battiato, Pop Singer and Versatile Composer, Dies at 76).
And while the Moroccan daily L’Economiste covers the reopening of La Scala, emphasizing how the Milan theatre, “to its audience’s ovations, has rediscovered its splendour” (May 18 – La Scala retrouve sa splendeur sous les ovations de son public), other reports concentrate on art. This is the case with the leading role played by Italian gallerists in the online edition of Art Basel Hong Kong (Financial Times, May 14 – Italian gallerists join remote ranks in Hong Kong*) and the rediscovery of Futurism, whose works “increase their market value thanks to major exhibitions” (El País, May 16 – El futurismo sale del armario). The New York Times also covers portraits and culture of Renaissance Florence with its review of the exhibition “The Medici, Portrats and Politics” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (May 19 – Talking Across the Centuries to the Medici Family).
Style – In fashion, The New York Times Style Magazine covers “Giorgio Armani’s perfect wire-rimmed glasses” which, since the 1980s, although refined in style, have “always maintained their classic appeal” (May 14 – Giorgio Armani’s Perfect Wire-Rimmed Glasses*). Les Echos, on the other hand, recounts how Loro Piana’s Sesia purse, a product made of “discreet luxury and Italian savoir-faire,” comes into being (May 16 – Les secrets du sac Sesia de Loro Piana). Lastly, attention is also focused on the “return to the origins” at Alfa Romeo, with the style and power of the new Giulia GTA (Le Matin, May 18 – Remarquable retour aux racines pour Alfa Romeo).
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