Much of the attention of the foreign press was understandably focused on the tragic aftermath of the earthquake in Emilia Romagna. Along with their dutiful covering of these events, newspapers abroad showcased positive aspects of Italy’s image, as seen through the major actors of its manufacturing sector – Fiat and Eni first of all – and by an overview of the main events on the cultural scene.
Spotlight on car sector – Fiat is the subject of special interest following announcement of its partnership with Premier of India for the production of the engines for its Rio (May 27- The Hindu Business Line) with the American firm CNH for the strategies of Fiat Industrial in the farm vehicle sector (3May 31 – The Wall Street Journal*; May 31– Gulf News). On May 29, Le Figaro ran a piece on activity of the Agnelli family and acquisitions by finance company Exor. And two days later, Le Monde ran a profile of Lapo Elkann and his passion for design.
The foreign press also focused on Eni, which announced the sale of Snam Rete gas (May 26 – Financial Times; May 31 The Wall Street Journal*), and Autogrill, which is planning to expand in Italy through its holding Aldesasa (May 27- Expansion). Finally, the Financial Times interviewed Luxottica CEO Andrea Guerra about the prospects of Italian exports.
Lo stile italiano – L’attenzione al mondo della cultura e dell’Italian way of life si è declinata, questa settimana, in una serie di articoli che spaziano dalla letteratura alle corse d’epoca alla moda. Da segnalare, in questo ambito, le interviste a Dacia Maraini e Claudio Magris, tra i protagonisti della fiera del libro di Madrid (ABC* – 28 maggio), alla quale ha dato ampio risalto El Mundo. La stampa estera non ha mancato di coprire gli eventi legati alle auto d’epoca, con particolare attenzione alle Bugatti in competizione alla Mille Miglia (27 maggio – Die Welt) e al raduno per sole Vespa a Castellón, in Spagna (26 maggio – El Mundo). Sullo stile di Prada e sulle prospettive commerciali, infine, è tornato Gulf News (29 maggio).
Italian style – Interest in Italy’s cultural scene and life style was seen in a series of articles whose topic ranged from literature and historic races to fashion. Of particular interest were interviews with Dacia Maraini and Claudio Magris, two major figures at the Madrid Book Fair (ABC* – May 28), an event widely discussed in El Mundo. Vintage cars also captured the attention of the foreign press, the Bugatti in particular which was competing in the Mille Migali (27 maggio – Die Welt) and the Vespa meetup in Castellón, Spain (May 26 – El Mundo). Finally, Gulf News (May 29). discussed style according to Prada as well as the fashion house’s business prospects.
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