China invests in Italy – China buying into 35% of CDP Reti, as well as investments in compagnie on the stock market, such as Eni, Enel, Telecom, Fiat and Prysmian. According to the Financial Times, China is aiming at Italy, becoming one of the largest foreign investors in the country with almost 3.5 billion euro of capital. This amounts to Beijing’s greatest investments in Europe (October 7 – China swoops in on Italy’s power grids and luxury brands).
Articles in the foreign press also underlined the activity of other large Italian manufacturers. According to Reuters, Terna continues to distribute dividends (October 7 – Italy’s Terna CEO says dividends can continue to be paid), while Enel is reorganizing to reduce debt and strengthen its position in Latin American (Les Echos, October 6 – L’italien Enel réorganise ses activités en Espagne et en Amérique latine).
Asia is not only invest in manufacturing. The Indonesian Erick Thohir, new owner of Inter, explained at the Financial Times how Italian soccer is changing (October 5 – The Italian job: Erick Thohir, Inter Milan).
The culinary tradition – There was a great deal of interest in Italian cuisine last week. Along with the articles on eno-gastonomic (New York Times, October 6 – In Umbria, an Italian Olive Oil Worth the Accolades), there were suggestions about books on Italian cooking (Wall Street Journal, October 3 – ‘How to Eataly’ by Oscar Farinetti and ‘Di Palo’s Guide to the Essential Foods of Italy’ by Lou Di Palo). There were also reports on some famous chefs: Massimo Bottura, with his critical edition of tradition, opened the Gastronomika festival in San Sebastián (El Pais, October 6 – Massimo Bottura y la tradición en clave crítica) where pizza – made for 600 people by Enzo Coccia and Enzo Piccirillo – was also a star (El Mundo, October 5 – San Sebastián Gastronomika comienza con marcado acento y buen sabor italiano). There was also TV success for Alessandro Porcelli, creator of the American show Cook It Raw, based on competitions among chefs and is now starting in Mexico (Wall Street Journal, October October 8 – Alessandro Porcelli Takes Cook It Raw to Mexico).
Italy seen by the Giro – A great homogeneous story of a territory. The 2015 Giro d’Italia was introduced to the press and was picked up by the foreign press. There were stories about a well-balanced race (El Pais, October 7 – Un Giro sin estridencias) and those who compared it to the 21 day classic Milan-Sanremo (Washington Post, October 6 – 2015 Giro route to run from San Remo to Milan). Other papers wrote about the itinerary (Les Echos, October 7 – Tour d’Italie : Un parcours nerveux en 2015; L’Orient le Jour, October 9 – Un Giro nerveux et moins montagneux l’an prochain). They wrote about the climbs, like Mortirolo, that have made up the history of cycling (El Mundo, October 6 – El Mortirolo regresa al Giro).
Lifestyle – There was also interest in Italian lifestyle. Financial Time explained how the gardens of ancient Rome are an inspiration for architects today (October 3 – How ancient Rome’s pergolas offer inspiration for modern gardens), while Wall Street Journal reported on the restructuring of Villa Eden at Gardone Riviera Riviera (October 9 – Star Architects Add Their Spin to Italian Villa). Meanwhile, El Mundo ran a piece on the ad by Giuseppe Tornatore for the new Dolce&Gabbana perfume (October 7 – ‘Dolce’, la esencia del sur de Italia en lo nuevo de Dolce&Gabbana), and El Economista told its readers about the Palau di Valencia dediated to the Romantic Italy of the 60s and 70s (10 – El Palau viaja a la ‘Italia romántica’ de la vespa y las luces de colores con canciones de los 60 y 70), Finally, there was the more classic report in the New York Times, which wrote about the secrets and traditions of Venetian gondolas (October 3 – In Venice, Navigating Like a Native).
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