Weeks of 31 July – 3 September

ECONOMY & FINANCE These topics have barely been out of the international press who have continued to provide news of the situation in Italy and the goings on in the country’s major industrial and financial groups.  Eni’s recent discovery of the largest gas field in Egypt has been on all the front pages, with the Financial Times reporting on 30^th July that “Eni discovers ‘supergiant’ gasfield near Egypt”, and Reuters on 31^st August said “Italy’s Italy’s Eni makes mega gas discovery off Egyptian coast” whilst on 30^th August the Washington Post wrote, “Italy’s Eni finds ‘supergiant’ natural gas field off Egypt” and Bloomberg spoke of  this money making achievement by the Italian petroleum group saying, on 31^st August, “Eni Sees Biggest Mediterranean Gas Find Boosting Cash Flow“.

The foreign press also wrote about Enel’s 600 million dollar investment in Brazilian solar power: Bloomberg on 1^st September said, “Enel Green Power to Invest $600 Million in Brazil Solar Farms”. Other articles have covered the results obtained and strategies adopted by the country’s major financial groups, paying particular attention to Mediobanca becoming the major shareholder of an asset manager, with  the Financial Times reporting on 4^th August that “Mediobanca takes control of London-based Cairn Capital” and a day later, Bloomberg wrote that “Mediobanca Agrees to Buy Controlling Stake in Cairn Capital”, whilst on 6^th August Les Echos said “Sur une trajectoire positive, Mediobanca avance à l’étranger”. Bloomberg reported even better news on 5^th August, stating “Mediobanca Surges After Dividend Increases More Than Expected” with another piece on Intesa Sanpaolo reporting that it had enjoyed “the best six month period since 2008”. Reuters in fact, reported the same news on 31^st July under the heading “Intesa Sanpaolo posts best first-half profit since 2008”.

The latest share prices on the Milan Stock Exchange deserve a separate mention. Much has been said about Poste Italiane’s upcoming IPO, with Reuters, on 11^th August, stating that “Italy says to sell up to 40 pct of post office in IPO” whilst Les Echos had already reported, on 31^st July, that “Italie : Feu vert du conseil de la Poste pour une cotation à Milan”. The Popolare di Vicenza is also looking to the markets, with Reuters, on 28^th August, announcing that “Popolare Vicenza to launch 1.5 bln euro share sale”. Aviation and aerospace was the focus of  Reuters’ piece on 13^th August that said, “Italy’s Avio mulling IPO on Milan stock market – sources”.

The international press has also taken an interest in Reinhold Messner “the king of the mountains” who has just finalized the last of his string of museums dedicated to mountaineering in a building, not far from Brunico, designed by Zaha Hadid. “Reinhold Messner: King of the mountains” said the Financial Times on 7^th August. On 10^th August, the Washington Post featured an Italian Nobel Laureate and his latest book: ‘The Pope’s Daughter’ review: Dario Fo’s novel defends the Borgia clan”, whilst on 14^th August, the Financial Times had a piece about another book, written by British journalist John Foot entitled ‘The Man Who Closed the Asylums’, by John Foot”, a biography of Franco Basaglia, the Italian who revolutionized Mental Health Care.

MUSIC: On 23^rd August, Spain’s El Mundo reported on Andrea Bocelli’s projects that range from the highbrow to pop: “Andrea Bocelli viaja de lo culto a lo popular”.

CINEMA: On 14^th July, Le Monde featured actor Christian De Sica and the nonchalance for which he is famous, “Christian De Sica, le désinvolte”, whilst on 28^th August the Financial Times published its interview with another Italian artist and filmmaker “Interview: Francesco Vezzoli”.

Members of the film world, meantime, are preparing for one of their annual appearances on the red carpet as the opening of the Venice Film Festival draws closer, as reported by El Pais on 2^nd September, “Venecia oculta su corazón de cine”. Le Monde, on the other hand, reported on 27^th August on its visit to Bologna’s “hospital” for old celluloid film reels “A Bologne, dans la clinique des vieilles bobines”. Earlier in the summer, on 31^st July, it had also reported on its trip to Sardinia to see the home that Michelangelo Antonioni had built for Monica Vitti “Vitti et Antonioni, une passion italienne”.

TOURISM: There has been plenty going on in various Italian cities that has attracted the attention of the foreign press. The Financial Times on 24^th August had some suggestions for tourists in an article entitled “Seeing the light at Expo 2015 in Milan” and just a day later, the Washington Post reported on the “Exhibit focusing on motherhood opens on Expo’s sidelines)”.  Other parts of the peninsula have not been ignored, with a Sunday Times’ piece on 9^th August about “The big weekend: Turin” and on 25^th August, the New York Times featured Italy’s eastern mountains in its article: “In Italy, Hiking and Haute Cuisine in the Dolomites”.  Cremona was mentioned in another NYT piece on 3^rd September, “There’s More to Cremona Than Violins”, and one of Italy’s most popular regions featured in The Times on 29^th August with “The 20 best rural retreats in Tuscany”, whilst “Exploring Assisi in Italy”, published by the New York Times on 23^rd August meant that neighboring Umbria also got a mention, as did Campania in El Mundo’s piece on Pompei dated 4^th August “Las puertas del “Gimnasio Grande” de Pompeya vuelven a abrirse”. Basilicata was Le Monde’s choice, describing it as an unknown beauty of southern Italy “Basilicate, la belle inconnue du sud de l’Italie” whilst Germany’s die Welt described, on 27^th August, how a preference for the south of the country brings Italians together, at least for the summer, “In Sommer ist sich Italien selbst genug”.

FOOD & WINE is an important contributor to tourism in Italy: on 30^th July the Wall Street Journal revealed “Why Piedmont is the New Burgundy”, whilst Bloomberg’s piece dated 9^th August was all about a 2011 vintage Tuscan wine: “Sassicaia 2011 Wine Takes Largest Share of Liv-ex Trading” and on 1^st September, Brazil’s Valor Economico featured the vineyard in Trentino Alto Adige where Ferrari Spumante was born “Espumante Ferrari sobe as montanhas para manter seu estilo”.

Italian food is not just a magnet that draws foreigners to ‘il Bel Paese’ however, although writer Rachel Roddy did hone her “culinary education” here according to the report in the Financial Times on 21^st August, “Sicily and Rome: two journeys, two kitchens”.  Italian cuisine can be found all over the world, and in fact on 28^th August the New York times recommended one particular place to enjoy it in the Big Apple “At Lucali, Pizza for the A-List and the Landlady Upstairs”, whilst a Washington Post article on 8^th August was all about Apulian food “Masseria offers diners an out-of-the-way escape to Puglia”.

ITALIAN FASHION & STYLE are always popular subjects and on 2^nd September Le Monde published an interview with one particular icon in this field Giorgio Armani: “Giorgio Armani : “Je suis resté indépendant pour garder la maîtrise de mon esthétique”” and on 7^th September the Financial Times had a piece all about the new Valentino collections designed by Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli: “The eternal grace of Valentino”. On 19^th August, the Wall Street Journal dedicated several column inches to Ferragamo’s Hollywood inspired collection “Ferragamo Designs Local Items for New Stores” and a week later, on 26^th August, also printed a piece on another Italian fashion guru “Brunello Cucinelli’s Profits Rises on U.S., China Growth”. It was the turn of the Trussardi family and its fashion empire to star in a feature in the 29^th August edition of Icon El Pais “Los Trussardi, de cómo superar la tragedia y levantar un imperio”.

On 20^th August, the Wall Street Journal ventured away from the big names in fashion, publishing an interview with Marco Baldassarri all about the emerging Italian brand ‘eleventy’ and its more accessible prices: “Italian Men’s Clothes Minus the Sticker Shock”. Italian style also lay at the heart of articles about  motor racing. On 29^th August, El Pais wrote about the relaunching of Alfa Romeo “La dura batalla de Alfa Romeo” but it was Ferrari that featured in the Times on 7^th August, “The New Ferrari 488 Makes You Feel Even More Awesome Than You Actually Are”. Expansion, however, chose to write about the eternal rivalry between the Prancing Horse and the Bull, publishing a piece, on 4^th August entitled “Lamborghini y Ferrari: la lucha entre el toro y el caballo”.