Economy – The internationalization of Italian businesses and their foreign investments monopolized the financial press this week. On November 29, the Financial Times had news on Intesa Sanpaolo – Intesa Sanpaolo to open private bank branch in London* , having reported, just two days previously that Rome and Teheran are counting on their shared history to bring economic benefits to both in the future – Italy hopes to utilize historic Iran ties with trade mission*.
Stories on foreign investments mostly involved luxury brands. On December 1, for example, the New York Times reported that Clessidra’s acquisition of a 90% stake in Cavalli was indicative of the considerable interest private equity funds continue to have in Italian fashion – Cavalli Investment Seems to Show Private Equity Still Interested in Fashion*. Meantime, a piece in Les Echos on November 30 explained that determined to maintain the value of items carrying a made in Italy label, the Altagamma Foundation has launched a training scheme aimed at producing a skilled workforce – Le luxe italien veut préserver son savoir-faire.
Culture – One of several articles in the foreign press covering cultural news this week was the review, published on November 29 in the New York Times on Paolo Giordano’s latest book , “The Black and the Silver” – Review: In Paolo Giordano’s ‘Like Family,’ the Nanny Departs and Cracks Emerge, It was an Italian film, Nanni Moretti’s “Mia Madre”, released in French cinemas on December 2 that featured in the French press, with a piece in Le Monde on November27 – Nanni Moretti, l’ami italien*, and another, on December 1, in Liberation – «Mia Madre» perdue de vie. Italian cinema also featured in the Wall Street Journal with an article, on December 2, on the work of director and screenwriter, Antonio Pietrangeli – ‘Antonio Pietrangeli: A Retrospective’ Review*.
The purity of language, a long term concern in France, featured in a piece in Le Monde on November 30, focusing this time, however, on the language of Dante and the petition started by Accademia della Crusca #dilloinitaliano to put an end to the proliferation of English words and expressions corrupting the Italian language – Anglicismes: l’Italie dit “Basta cosi !”*.
Lifestyle – The continuing interest in the Italian way of life resulted in more articles on the subject this week, with the magazine produced by Le Monde describing, on December 2, how Ferrari is currently creating a stir both on the financial markets and at classic car rallies – Ferrari affole les enchères*
On the same day, the New York Times, on the other hand, chose to write about the growing passion in America for a very traditional Italian liqueur -“that tastes of Christmas” – which has led to it now being produced by a distillery in Washington – Nocino, an Italian Walnut Liqueur, Is Also Made in America*. Meantime, on November 30, the Washington Post took readers on a photographic journey to Tuscany with pictures of a villa once owned by Michelangelo now on sale. A “snip” at 7.9 million dollars! A peek inside Michelangelo’s 16th-century villa.
It was the NE city of Vicenza that featured in the New York Times on December 2 in a piece all about the buildings designed by Palladio that inspired the work of Thomas Jefferson, the American architect and statistician – How Jefferson Learned Architecture*.
*Article available for pay/with registration