Economy and finance – Extraordinary operations take centre stage in the economics and financial reporting dedicated to Italy by the foreign press. Reuters reports on the $ 240 million acquisition completed in the appliance sector by De’ Longhi, which has bought the American company Capital Brands (November 23 – Italy’s De’ Longhi to buy U.S. blender maker Capital Brands), while Bloomberg covers Illy, which has sold a stake to Rhone in order to expand “its network of cafes on shopping streets and in museums” (November 23 – Italy’s Illycaffe Banking on Demand From U.S.*). Foreign interest is also shown by the French bank Crédit Agricole, which has made an offer to purchase Credito Valtellinese (Les Echos, November 23 – Crédit Agricole lance une OPA en Italie*). And while Bloomberg reports that Snam is aiming at doubling “green investments” and at “reaching carbon neutrality,” (November 25 – Italy Gas Pipeline Operator Sets Ambitious Zero-Emissions Goal*), Reuters covers Brexit’s effects on Italian finance, with Mediobanca relocating one third of its mergers and acquisitions professionals from London to Milan (November 20 – Mediobanca shifts bankers from London to Milan, star dealmaker to quit – sources).
Culture – In culture, Reuters covers the “La Scala opening night” to be broadcast on live TV, quoting Artistic Director Dominique Meyer who asserts: “we are in a difficult moment but still able to create the emotion of opera” (November 25 – Milan’s La Scala opts for TV gala as virus cancels season debut), while Sueddeutsche Zeitung profiles Claudio Longhi, the new director of Milan’s Piccolo Teatro (November 25 – Neuer Intendant am Piccolo Teatro).
Other dailies recount the discovery in Pompeii of the “almost perfect” remains of two victims of the eruption in 79 AD (November 21 and 22 in The Observer, Pompeii dig reveals ‘almost perfect’ remains of a master and his slave; Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Alltagsdetails von Vulkan-Opfern erforscht; Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 2.000 Jahre alte Überreste von Opfern des Vulkanausbruchs entdeckt). German dailies also cover history, with an account of the plague and the “lockdown of 1656” in the Rome ghetto (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, November 25 –Lockdown im Ghetto).
Fashion and luxury – In luxury, Le Nouvel Observateur interviews Dolce&Gabbana on doing fashion in the time of pandemic (November 24 – Dolce & Gabbana : « Dans un monde sans mouvement, c’est fou de voir les vêtements marcher »), while Expansión recounts how watchmaker Panerai is “going back to its origins” with the new Luminor Logo model (November 20 – El nuevo Luminor Logo de Panerai vuelve a los orígenes por 5.400 euros).
Wine & Food – In wine & food, Le Monde proposes a selection of the finest Italian dishes home-delivered during the lockdown, asking “What could be better than an Italian evening for a gourmet lockdown?” (November 25 – L’Italie à la maison ! Cinq livraisons de pizza, pasta, mozzarella au goût transalpin*), while the Morocco daily L’Economiste reports on the new Nespresso collection that “celebrates Italian coffee” (November 20 – Nespresso célèbre le café italien). Financial Times, on the other hand, covers the success of gins featuring “botanicals” in Italy, with brands like Selvatiq “scouring Lombardy and Piedmont for ‘wild sustainable’ ingredients” (November 20 – Gin, a tonic for the garden*).
Lastly, the life of Milanese baker Gianni Bernardiello – who gained renown at the start of the epidemic for giving bread to those in need, and who recently died of Covid himself – is celebrated (The New York Times, November 20 – Gianni Bernardinello, Baker Who Fed Neighbors Amid Pandemic, Dies at 76*).
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