The future of luxury items – The future of Italy’s luxury goods is also tied to technology. That came out in the interview that the CEO of Luxottica, Andrea Guerra, gave to the Financial Times (May 11 – An eye on the future of luxury?*). In the interview, Guerra explained the implications of the agreement that the Italian group – a leader in the sector thanks to innovation – signed with Google for the production of Google Glass.
However, technology is not the only tendency in the luxury sector. Made in Italy designers are also putting their names on Italy’s art heritage, with an emphasis on patronage of the arts, which – according to Le Monde – is reminiscent of the Medicis. In Florence, Ferragamo, normally covered for its products (Washington Post, May 8 – Ferragamo launches signature Fiamma bag), has financed the renewal of some of the rooms of the Uffizi (May 12 – Salvatore Ferragamo à la rescousse de la Galerie des Offices, à Florence).
Italian industry and recovery – The foreign press also reported on the recovery seen in Italian industry. Enel has increased its revenues in the last quarter (Expansion, May 8 – Enel gana un 5% más en el trimestre), and the Italian Strategic Fund identified Shanghai Electric as a partner interested in the prospects of Ansaldo Energia (Financial Times, May 8 – Shanghai Electric to buy Ansaldo Energia stake*).
Internationalization is indeed a key factor, especially in the high end. That is the case of Maserati, which along with other products – explains the agency Bloomberg – is preparing for its best sales results in Japan, again thanks to the recovery (May 12 – Maserati, VW Lead Foreign Cars Making Inroads in Japan).
Travels in Italy – An earthy paradise. According to the book The Land Where Lemons Grow, reviewed by the Financial Times, Italy offers these corners of beauty, and the British paper traveled through this perfume of lemons from Liguria to the Conca d’oro in Sicily (May 9 – Italy and the art of lemon growing*). The New York Times wrote about an agricultural tourist vacation in Umbria (May 9 – A Working Vacation on an Umbrian Farm*), while the Sunday Times visited a Tuscan villa (May 11 – Tuscany, actually*), and the Financial Times suggested going for a swim in some of the Penisula’s wilder spots, from Garda to Sicily (9 The expert selection: Italy’s wild swimming spots*).
* marked articles viewable online upon payment or registration