Economy – Italian companies growing in size and expanding abroad are making international headlines this week. While Boersen Zeitung recounts Mediobanca’s development process (May 11 – Mediobanca wächst kräftig*), Reuters returns to the possible listing of DRS, the American branch of the Leonardo defence group, which showed a 132% profits “jump” in the first quarter (May 6 – Leonardo still keen to list DRS unit as first-quarter core profits jump). Bloomberg explains how the patron of Diesel, Renzo Rosso, aims to create a “united front” of various Italian fashion brands (May 8 –Italian Diesel Jeans Billionaire Looks to Stitch Together Fashion Front*). Style and fashion are also the focus of two articles by the Chinese press agency Xinhua, which explains how Italy is the first partner of Design Week (May 9 – Hainan to hold Design Week, Italy is first partner), to be held at the Expo in the Chinese city of Hainan (May 9 – Economic Watch: Italy seeks new opportunities at Hainan Expo).
Culture – In culture, the spotlight is on opera, with the reopening to the public of La Scala (Reuters, May 10 – Italy’s La Scala reopens to public after 7-month pandemic-led closure) in Milan, where 500 lucky operagoers witnessed this “big step” after 7 months of lockdown (The New York Times, May 10 – La Scala Takes a Big Step With a Small Audience*). The Milanese theatre also figures prominently in the Green Revolution taking place in the sector, with the installation of solar panels on the roof of the new office tower, new lighting, and a programme to reduce paper consumption (The New York Times, May 10 – How Operas Are Going Green*).
The spotlight is also on archaeology thanks to the discovery, at Grotta Guttari near San Felice Circeo, of a site with the remains of nine Neanderthals (Reuters, May10 – Archaeologists uncover Neanderthal remains in caves near Rome; The Guardian, May 8 – Remains of nine Neanderthals found in cave south of Rome; Sueddeutsche Zeitung, May 9 – Forscher entdecken Überreste von Neandertaler-Population bei Rom). And while Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung pays homage to Dante with the verses of Canto XXII of Paradiso (May 9 – Der Blick auf die Erde), The New York Times covers pop music, recalling the life of Milva who, thanks to her “charisma, warm voice and flaming red hair,” was one “one of Italy’s most recognizable divas” (May 6 – Milva, Redheaded Italian Diva of Many Artistic Hues, Dies at 81*).
Tourism – There are also several tourism reports: El País relates how Venice is aiming to reinvent itself with “new offerings for a more responsible and sustainable tourism” (May 8 – Venecia se replantea su futuro) and travels to Castiglione della Pescaia, “a seductive corner of Tuscany” amid “Medieval fortresses, fifteenth-century churches, and gold-sand beaches” (May 7 – Castiglione della Pescaia, un seductor rincón de la Toscana), while Les Echos pays a visit to a “paradise-like resort that invites quiet and getting away from it all” in Noto, “in the heart of Sicilian Baroque” (May 8 – Le repaire : Il San Corrado di Noto, au coeur du baroque sicilien). Financial Times covers real estate recommendations with a villa in Rapallo (May 6 – Hot property: five homes for sale on coastal paths*), and recounts how the Italian luxury market took off during the pandemic, with more “business leaders” moving to Italy to work remotely (May 11 – A home office in an Italian haven*).
Food – For wine & food, Les Echos celebrates “one of the most evident success of Made in Italy excellence”: prosecco, which has increased its production by 75% over the past 20 years thanks to the success of the spritz (May 12 – Le prosecco, un succès made in Italy porté par le Spritz*). An alternative spritz is the one proposed by The New York Times, which makes it with Lambrusco, the “sparkling wine” of Emlia-Romagna (May 10 – Day Drinking, Italian Style*).
The American daily also covers olive oil, reporting on the products that Armando Manni sends from Tuscany to his customers in the United States (The New York Times, May 10 – A Special Tuscan Olive Oil for Everyday Use*); other articles relate to Italian establishments abroad, like the Roman pastry shop Via Vai Astoria in Queens (The New York Times, May 10 – Roman Treats Worth the Trip*) or Zuccaru, a Palermo-style establishment that has brought to Madrid the tradition of the brioche with ice cream (El Mundo, May 10 – Zúccaru, el rincón siciliano donde el helado también se come a bocados).
*Article available for pay / at registration