Economy and Style – Several news items this week focused on the development plans of some Italian businesses, mostly those involved in lifestyle, luxury and fashion. The American press wrote about how luxury baked products by Princi will now be on sale in all new branches of Starbucks, starting with the one in Seattle (November 7 on the Wall Street Journal – Starbucks to Open Princi Bakery Inside Seattle Roastery*; Washington Post – Starbucks’ next move: Italian restaurants*).
Whilst Les Echos ran a story about the success currently enjoyed by leather goods specialist, Piquadro and its plans for new acquisitions (November 2 – L’italien Piquadro, success story de la maroquinerie connectée*), Bloomberg chose to write about the partnership between Dolce&Gabbana and the pasta brand, the Pastificio Di Martino that has led to a limited edition line of pasta (November 2 – Dolce & Gabbana Is Now in the Pasta Business). The business and food and wine combo also featured this week following the recent death of Antonio Carluccio, often called the “godfather of Italian food in the United Kingdom” who founded a highly successful chain of restaurants bearing his name: (November 8 on The Guardian – Italian chef Antonio Carluccio dies aged 80; and the Financial Times – Antonio Carluccio, Italian restaurateur, dies at 80).
Style in the automobile sector was the focus of a review in the Wall Street Journal all about Alfa Romeo’s Stelvio (November 2 – 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio: The World’s Best-Looking SUV?*) whilst Bloomberg wrote about Lamborghini’s new electric car (November 7 – Lamborghini Unveils a Self-Healing Electric Supercar).
Culture and tourism – Many articles combined cultural and tourism. France’s Liberation suggested a trip to Bologna to take in the 3rd edition of the photographic biennial, Foto/Industria (November 3 – Bologne, labeur sur la ville) but also featured Milan, in a write up on the “extraordinary” Caravaggio exhibition currently being held in the Palazzo Reale (November 6 – Caravage au bord des lames).
The Lombard capital was also the focus of an article in El País about the Lucio Fontana exhibition at the Hangar Bicocca (November 7 – Otra idea del tránsito). It was the figurative arts and the Centre for Italian Modern Art in New York’s SoHo neighborhood that interested however, a piece about De Chirico’s younger brother Alberto Savino (New York Times, November 2 – Alberto Savinio: Emerging From Big Brother’s Shadow*).
Other news, falling somewhere between culture and tourism, featured Palermo, described as “the jewel of the Mediterranean” (Washington Post, November 6 – Palermo lives up to the Italy of popular imagination*), whilst Lake Como was presented not only as a “fashionable holiday destination”, but also an “idyllic” place for rowing (Financial Times, November 5 – A home for rowing on the Italian lakes*). Le Monde was in Trieste to write about the writer and translator Claudio Magris’ Middle Europe (November 9 – Claudio Magris, chasseur de traces*),whereas Reuters ran a piece on the “quiet” revolution underway in Assisi where the town council is aiming to reduce emissions by 40% by 2030 (November 6 – From better bulbs to more trees, Italy’s Assisi takes on climate change).
*Article available for pay/ at registration