Economy – Enel’s latest plans and other news warranted several articles in the foreign press this week, with several explaining how Europe’s largest utility company is planning to invest some 27.5 billion Euro in Green Energy and networks over the next three years and how the group, headed by Francesco Starace, has announced that it will pay 70 percent of its ordinary net profit as dividends in the three years to 2021: (On November 20 in the New York Times – Enel Pledges to Spend More on Green Energy and Networks; Enel Ramps Up Green Energy and Networks to Boost Returns*; Wall Street Journal – Enel Raises Profit Targets*; – Enel raises earnings targets, commits to invest more; and El Mundo – Enel invertirá 5.500 millones en España y Portugal de un plan de 27.500 millones hasta 2021).
Other news involved Italy’s largest insurance company, Generali, and its plans to increase its share of the German – and Italian – markets, (Les Echos, November 21 – Relancé, Generali veut passer la vitesse supérieure*), whilst another piece in the same paper featured Monini, and its intention to exploit its identity as a family-run company to increase its sales in France (Les Echos, November 22 – L’huile Monini capitalise sur son identité familiale*).
News of Luigi Gubitosi’s nomination to head up TIM led to two articles, (November 18 in Handelsblatt – Gubitosi wird neuer Chef von Telecom Italia – Vorgänger Genish stiftet Aktionärsrevolte an and another in Expansion – Luigi Gubitosi, nuevo consejero delegado de Telecom Italia), whilst another piece was all about how the London Stock Exchange will move part of its government bond trading to Milan ahead of Brexit (Les Echos, November 20 – La Bourse de Londres déplace son trading obligataire à Milan*).
Culture – Italian style – resulted in various articles in the foreign press this week. The New York Times wrote about the exhibition at Rome’s Maxxi museum dedicated to the work of the war photo-reporter Paolo Pellegrin (November 16 – A Look Back on a Life’s Work Capturing Conflict), whilst another piece featured Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, one of Europe’s best known art collectors, whose foundation will be opening a Madrid based arts complex next year (November 20 – A Prominent Art Patron Sets Her Sights on Madrid) and another article in the same paper was all about a jewelry exhibition in Pistoia (November 20 – Italy’s Avant-Garde Art Jewelry on Display). Libération reviewed Silvia Costa’s “Nel Paese di Inverno”, an artistic interpretation of Cesare Pavese’s book, ‘Dialogues with Leuco (November 15- LES DÉESSES EN PANNE DE SILVIA COSTA).
Several papers reported on the recent discovery of a “sensual” fresco in Pompeii, depicting Queen Leda of Sparta being impregnated by the God Jupiter (on November 19 in Washington Post – Sensual fresco discovered in ancient Pompeii bedroom; Le Monde – Pompéi: découverte d’une fresque qui dépeint la relation entre la reine Léda et Zeus; The Guardian – Take me to your Leda: sensual Pompeii bedroom art uncovered; El País – Descubierto en Pompeya un fresco erótico “único y excepcional”).
Tourism –El País suggested readers might enjoy a slow-paced exploration of Southern Italy, discovering “irresistible piazzas, coquettish churches and amazing towns” along the way (November 18 – Sin prisas por el sur de Italia) and, having pushed through to Sicily, wrote another piece that described the “dreams and shadows” that populate the island (November 19 – Sicilia, de sueños y de sombras). The Financial Times brought food and wine and real estate together to write about the sale of the Castle in Monstestrutto in Piedmont (November 16 – Hot property: homes near food festivals*) whilst Der Standard was in the Venice Lagoons, to write all about Torcello including how, having been feared lost forever, the Dorona grape was rediscovered there a few years ago (November 16 –Torcello: In den Weinbergen Venedigs).
*Article available for pay / at registration