Why Is the Art Market Suddenly Going Crazy for Arte Povera—50 Years Later?
The market for Postwar Italian art has been rapidly growing over the last decade—you can’t swing a Balenciaga bag around a modern art fair lately without knocking over at least three of Lucio Fontana’s slashed canvases. But it’s Arte Povera, however, that has made its way to the forefront of the market’s collective consciousness just within the pas...
How Special Economic Zones can help Italy
“Special Economic Zones (SEZ) can be a great opportunity not only for cities like Venice but for the whole country”, this is what Damaso Zanardo has declared after the International Forum on EEZ recently held in Venice. Mr Zanardo, President of the Council Committee for the Metropolitan City of Venice, highlighted how international experience on SE...
Italy Set For Historical Record For Wine Exports
Italian wine exports have grown by 7% in value and could reach €6 billion by the end of 2017 – a new historical record. The forecast comes from Italian farmers’ association Coldiretti, based on Istat data. The overseas growth, in both value and volume, comes in spite of the recently completed harvest emerging as one of the earliest and poorest in t...
Italy Is Right to Measure 'La Dolce Vita'
Italy has long prided itself for its quality of life -- and with good reason. Italy may be only just recovering from a long economic crisis, but its citizens are healthier and live longer than those of most other countries in the world. It is perhaps no coincidence then that the Italian government is pioneering the use of welfare indicators in its...
Touring FICO Eataly World, a Magical Kingdom of Pasta
Bologna, nicknamed la grassa—“the fat one”—for its wealth and edible delicacies, is located in Italy’s Emilia Romagna region, thebirthplace of tortellini, Parmesan, prosciutto, and balsamic vinegar. Foodies have long hopped on the two-hour train from Rome to hunt down the flavors nestled in the picturesque city and nearby hillside villages. But now...
The 16th century pharmacy of the Pope
Every city has them, the so-called “hidden gems.” The places rarely visited by tourists, and the ones often forgotten about by locals. Living in a historical city like Rome, you struggle to run out of hidden gem possibilities, yet it’s not easy collecting them all. You can stare just that little bit harder at a painting, or ask a local where to eat...
Italian Organic Food And Beverage Sales To Rise 12%
The market for Italian organic food and drinks is currently worth €4.9 billion, with sales set to increase by 12% in 2017, reports La Repubblica. Of this total, €3 billion are sales achieved in Italy, and the remaining €1.9 billion comes from exports to foreign markets. Italy is the leading organic market in Europe, and the second largest in the wo...
Pret A Manger is Autogrill’s new partner
Autogrill has signed an agreement with Pret A Manger, which will open points of sale in all the main airports and railway stations in North America and Europe starting with Netherlands and Denmark. Under the agreement, Autogrill Group will handle new openings in North America through its subsidiary HMSHost, while in Europe everything will be entrus...
Italy finally has an official national anthem
No one will be singing it on the stands in Russia, more’s the pity, but Italian footballers, fans and schoolchildren can rest assured that the next time they’re required to join in with the “Song of the Italians”, it’ll be official. It turns out the anthem Italians have been singing for the past 71 years – also known as “Mameli’s Hymn” after its ly...
Ravello, Italy: Where magnificent scenery goes for inspiration
When it comes to scenery and dramatic picturesque settings, it is difficult to find any place in the world more spectacular than Ravello Italy. Even the worst photographer in the world becomes Ansel Adams in Ravello because there is a photo op in every direction. Ravello is not a destination for first-time travelers in the sense that it makes a go...
The coach who designed the offense that changed the NBA nearly failed before he started
The lightbulb went on for Mike D'Antoni in his third year coaching Olimpia Milano in the Italian basketball league LBA, though maybe it was always there and he had been ignoring it. It was 1993 and D'Antoni was coaching "traditionally," as he calls it, but he wasn't getting much out of his team. D'Antoni decided to mix things up. I just one day jus...
New Book on Italian Oriana Fallaci Makes Readers Feel They Are in Her Story
Oriana Fallaci was a famous Italian journalist. Having grown up in poverty in Florence, she rose to prominence, thanks to old-fashioned hard work and just a little bit of sass. Indeed, she was ahead of her time. Fallaci became a reporter at a moment in world history when women were expected to raise children, cook, clean, and be quiet. This unconve...