Economy – Italian businesses continue to command space in the economic and financial pages of the foreign press. Lavazza is one of them, in the news this week thanks to its increased share of the French market described in a long interview with its VP Giuseppe Lavazza that appeared in les Echos (on September 16 – Giuseppe Lavazza: « La recherche du profit ne peut pas être le seul objectif »*). OVS is another, featured in Bloomberg in an article that explained the role being played by the clothing chain in the relaunch of the Swiss group Charles Voegele (September 19 – OVS, Partners Agree to Buy Charles Voegele for $57 Million).
This week also brought news of new foreign investments in Italy. One of the companies owned by Warren Buffet – the US financier with a reputation for outstanding business savvy – has just taken over Dominioni, an Italian company concerned with pasta-making machinery (Bloomberg, September 20 – Buffett’s Marmon Buys Italy’s Dominioni in Pasta-Equipment Wager), whilst the major international financial and insurance groups are competing to control Unicredit’s Pioneer (Reuters, September 20 – Three main contenders in bidding for Unicredit’s Pioneer). At the same time Australian investors have shown interest in Risanamento’s Milano Santa Giulia property development project (Reuters, September 20 – Risanamento in talks with Australia’s LendLease for Milan project). Other articles in the foreign press were all about luxury real estate opportunities in Italy. Financial Times ran a piece on an old monastery for sale in Prato (September 16 – For sale: five unusual home conversions*), whereas the New York Times featured the Eremo, a villa overlooking Capri’s famous Faraglioni, currently on sale for 9 million Euros (September 15 – On Capri, a Cliffside Villa With Landmark Vistas*).
Remembering Carlo Azeglio Ciampi – The death, this week, of the former Italian Prime Minister prompted numerous articles, some of which also had an economic slant, in part because of the part he played in Italy’s adoption of the Euro. (New York Times, September 18 – Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, Former Italian Prime Minister, Dies at 95*; Reuters, September 16 – Former Italian president, prime minister Ciampi dies; Wall Street Journal, September 16 – Italy’s Former President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi Dies Aged 95*; Bloomberg, September 16 – Carlo Ciampi, Who Helped Italy’s Euro Adoption, Dies at 95; Les Echos, September 19 – Disparition: Carlo Azeglio Ciampi*). In other articles, Ciampi was remembered as a leader who played a crucial role in stabilizing Italy’s economy; (Financial Times, September 16 – Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, Italian leader, 1920-2016*); or described him as a politician acclaimed as a national hero (The Guardian, September 19 – Carlo Azeglio Ciampi obituary); or as a statesman respected for his integrity (Le Monde, September 16 – L’ancien président italien Carlo Azeglio Ciampi est mort*) or as a man who helped restore Italian pride (El País, September 16 – Muere el expresidente italiano Carlo Azeglio Ciampi), thanks to a life dedicated to politics and the economy (El Mundo, September 16 – Muere el ex presidente italiano Carlo Azeglio Ciampi).
Culture & Style – On the culture front, a series of concerts in Paris to celebrate 60 years of Ennio Morricone’s music prompted an article about the “furious maestro” in Libération (September 19 – Ennio Morricone, Maestro furioso), whilst it was Italian artist Rosa Barba, and her work featuring San Paolo in Brazil that caught the eye of The Guardian (September 20 – Rosa Barba examines the everyday chaos of São Paulo’s ‘giant earthworm’ highway). Financial Times’ Photo Diary ran a piece on the Florence exhibition now on at the Palazzo Strozzi featuring the works of the artist Ai Weiwei (September 21 – Libero), whilst Spain’s Actualidad Económica dedicated an article to the legendry Vespa, describing it as a symbol of a new Italian Renaissance, represented in movies as a sort of “joie de vivre” paradigm (September 19 – 70 años de la Vespa, las alas del penúltimo renacer italiano).
Tourism & Fashion – This week saw several articles of a tourist nature, New York Times went to Castiglioncello del Trinoro in Tuscany, with a review about hotels that boast resident artists (September 19 – Graffitist in Residence? It’s the Latest Hotel Amenity*) whereas die Welt paid tribute to the Salento district, stating that the best time of the year to visit this particular part of Apulia is in the Fall (September 22 – So schön ist der Süden Apuliens). Les Echos was in Milan, not to visit its monuments but to report it as a model city when it comes to managing the recycling of garbage that was of interest in New York too (September 20 – Milan, ville modèle en matière de gestion des déchets). The beginning of Fashion Week in the Lombardy capital also prompted an article in Washington Post and New York Times (September 21 – Gucci unleashes fantasy, Puglisi stages torment; September 22 – Gucci’s Sequined, Studded, Spangled Saga).
Food & Wine – also featured in various articles this week with the Financial Times writing about two outstanding restaurants in Cagliari (September 16 – Cucina.eat and Lo Scoglio offer superlative Sardinian settings*) whilst it was Italian Cuisine that starred in a mushroom-based recipe in die Zeit (September 17 – Italienische Kochegemonie mit Pfifferlingen). Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung was in Gragnano, near Naples, writing about Arturo Elefante who produces the best pasta in the world (September 18 – Arturo Elefante produziert die wohl beste Pasta der Welt), another German paper, Handelsblatt, was also in Campania this week, producing an article all about Kimbo, the traditional Neapolitan brand of coffee now looking to make inroads on the German market (September 15 – Espresso – was sonst?).
*Article available for pay / at registration