Economy: Italian groups abroad – This week, it was plans major Italian groups have for their international affairs that came under the spotlight in the foreign press. First up, on November 12, was the successful 406 million dollar bid made by Salini Impreglio for American road builders, Lane Industries, described in an article in the Wall Street Journal headed – Italy’s Salini Impregilo to Buy U.S. Road Builder Lane Industries* and one in BloombergBusiness entitled – Salini Buys Lane for $406 Million to Expand in U.S. Market. Other articles featured Enel’s future plans – Enel close to disposal of stake in Slovak utility* said the Financial Times on November 15 with Reuters publishing two articles 3 days later on the company’s determination to strengthen its growth by merging with Enel Green Power: Enel approves merger with green subsidiary and Enel goes greener in search for growth, a theme continued, on November 18 by the Financial Times in a piece entitled – Enel bets hard on renewable energy.
There was also news about foreign investments in Italy, with El Mundo reporting on November 17 about Spanish group Orkli buying into Italy’s Valmex, a company active in the heat Exchange sector – La cooperativa guipuzcoana Orkli adquiere el 40% de la italiana Valmex. This, just a day after Les Echos heralded the privatization of Grandi Stazioni Retail, the railway stations management company – Italie: La privatisation de Grandi Stazioni Retail est lancée, whilst on November 12, the German daily newspaper, Handelsblatt published its interview with Italian economist Luca Paolazzi, explaining that renewed interest in the Italian market was due to signs that the country’s economy was improving – “Italien hat einen neuen Kurs eingeschlagen”*
Tourism – As usual, there were several articles on Italy’s tourist sector, including two on November 12. The first, in the New York Times Magazine described how the landscape of the Alto Adige provides the perfect backdrop to visiting Reinhold Messner’s six Mountain Museums – Making a Museum Out of a Mountain*, whilst the second, in BloombergBusiness provided a photographic tour of the Vittorio Veneto Winegrower’s Co-operative – Take a Trip Along the Prosecco Production Line. Three days later, The Times was in the same general area, setting down ideas of what to do during an autumn break in one of Italy’s favorite Art Cities – Venice – The big weekend: Venice*.
El Pais, on the other hand, headed west to Turin, providing readers, on November 16, with suggestions of what to drink if they found themselves there, starting with the age-old tradition of the “bicerin” – Turín, sorbito a sorbito – and a day later, another Spanish daily, El Mundo, was further south, in Campania, visiting the place where the Emperor Augustus is said to have died, the Villa Augustea in Somma Vesuviana – La última morada de Augusto. Earlier in the week however, on November 12, the Wall Street Journal was even further south, on the slopes of Mt. Etna, finding out about local wines, describing them as “some of the most interesting in Italy” – L’Avventura of Making Wine on a Volcano*.
Lifestyle: design, food and drink and cars – Aspects of the Italian way of life are always of interest abroad, and this week, on November 11, the Wall Street Journal printed a profile of Enrico Marone Cinzano and the story of his family – A Relic of Italy’s Cinzano Family’s History. On November 12, Morocco’s daily financial paper, L’Economiste, reported on the 16th edition of the Italian Exhibition of Design and Technology for interior design, staged this year in Casablanca – Médinit: Un salon pour vendre le Made in Italie.
On November 14, Die Welt turned its attention to Italy’s first place on the leader board in the production and quality of wine – Warum Italien die neue Supermacht des Weins ist, whilst on November 17, the New York Times featured Italian chef Giulio Adriani’s New York eatery – Giulio Adriani Turns a Gas Station Into Service Station.
There were also a few articles about Italy’s automobile industry and some of the new cars it has produced. On November 12, El Mundo published two articles, one about the new Giulia, “Alfa Romeo’s latest star” and the second about the new Fiat Tipo, both of which are being presented at the Dubai Motor Show – Salón de Dubái 2015: Giulia es la estrella de Alfa Romeo and – Fiat Tipo, en el Salón de Dubái). Later in the week, on November 18, FCA told Bloomberg Business that it will not be unveiling its new Spider – the first in 30 years and the first built under the FIAT umbrella – until the Los Angeles Auto Show – Fiat Chrysler Brings Back Spider Roadster After Three Decades. Another new FIAT, the 500X had also featured in BloombergBusiness on November 12, in a review entitled – The 2016 Fiat 500X Is Cute, but Who Is It For?
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