Economy – Economy and finance take centre stage in foreign press coverage this week. The leading press agencies cast the spotlight on the IPO of yacht maker Ferretti, with a group valuation reaching € 1 billion (September 30 in Bloomberg – Superyacht Maker Ferretti Valued at Up to $1.2 Billion in IPO and Reuters – Italian yacht maker Ferretti aims for up to one billion euro valuation in IPO), while The Wall Street Journal reports on Richemont’s acquisition of Buccellati, a € 200 million operation in which the Italian brand is a “driver for growth in jewellery” (September 27 – Richemont Buys Italian Jewelry Brand Buccellati*). In luxury items, there is also coverage of the investments and new appointments at Tod’s, which is ramping up its digital effort (Reuters, September 27 – Italy’s Tod’s appoints former Google executive to ramp up digital effort), in addition to Aviteur, Patrizia Gucci’s new luggage brand (The New York Times, September 27 – A Gucci Name Comes with Baggage)
Electrification, on the other hand, is the focus at Maserati, which is to invest at least € 1.6 billion for new models to be manufactured in Italy (Reuters, September 26 – Fiat’s Maserati to invest at least 1.6 billion euros to launch new models; Expansion, September 27 – Maserati solo desarrollará y fabricará en Italia sus nuevos modelos electrificados; Die Welt, 27 September – Maserati Zukünftspläne; Le Matin, October 1 – Maserati annonce la production de ses modèles «Made in Italie»).
Economic and financial newspapers also pay homage to Marco Settembri, Nestlé’s top manager, on the occasion of his 60th birthday (Börsen Zeitung 28 September – Marco Settembri 60*), and to remember the entrepreneur Giorgio Squinzi, former chairman of Confindustria and a “great sports enthusiast” (Les Echos, October 3 – Italie: décès du patron de Mapei et du club de foot Sassuolo*).
Culture – In culture, Financial Times and The New York Times report on the auction of Botticelli’s portrait of Michele Marullo Tarcaniota, which could become “the most expensive work” ever sold, with an asking price of € 30 million (September 26- How do you put a price on a Botticelli?*; October 2 – If You Have $30 Million, You Could Have a Botticelli); the United States daily also reviews a show that New York’s Frick Collection is dedicating to Bertoldo di Giovanni, the Renaissance Florentine sculptor and teacher of Michelangelo (September 25 – ‘Bertoldo di Giovanni: The Renaissance of Sculpture in Medici Florence’ Review: Out of the Shadows*). Florence also features in El Pais’s travel recommendations, as the newspaper recounts the city through the eyes of Spanish director Ana Socorro (September 27 – Inspiración florentina); Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, on the other hand, visits Lombardy to discuss the restorations at Villa del Balbianello, “a jewel on Lake Como (September 28 – Nur das Herz verhinderte Höheres). Lastly, The Observer reports on the discovery of some satirical drawings dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci by artists who were his contemporaries, (September 29 – Italians laughed at Leonardo da Vinci, the ginger genius).
Cuisine – In wine and food, El Pais visits “Cheese,” the “world’s best artisanal cheese fair” held in Bra, interviewing Slow Food founder Carlo Petrini (September 28 – Carlo Petrini y los quesos de leche cruda), and dedicates an article to celebrating the benefits of the “millennia-old tradition” of the Mediterranean diet (September 28 – La dieta mediterránea, una comida milenaria y divina, lista para exportar). And while The New York Times recommends its recipe for “polenta and sausages” (September 27 – Polenta and Sausages for a Crowd (Polenta alla Spianatora*), Der Standard offers a South Tyrolean dish “for refined palates”: risotto with apples, walnuts, and speck (October 1 – Apfel-Walnuss-Risotto: Süß-herbes Herbstgericht). Lastly, The Wall Street Journal offers advice to enthusiasts and tourists who wish to take part in Italy’s grape harvest (October 1 – How to Take Part in Italy’s Grape Harvest*).
*Article available