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BLOOMBERG. The collapse of IT Holding SpA, owner of the Gianfranco Ferre designer label, has sent ripples across Italy’sfashion industry, threatening to take with it a host of seamsters, fabric suppliers and other couture houses. (Read the article by Armorel Kenna and Chris Staiti)
OREGON LIVE. "In such entertainments as "The Godfather," "Goodfellas" and "The Sopranos," the Italian-American Mafia, or Cosa Nostra, is depicted as a strongly hierarchical institution governed not by the laws of society but by its own strict codes of ethics and conduct, including a strict delineation between insiders (that is to say, crooks) and civilians. As the cliches go, they only kill their own, they love their mothers, they dress well, they have courtly notions of respect, and so on (...)"
"But as journalist Roberto Saviano has demonstrated, the Italian Camorra, to which the Mafia is tied by culture, history and economics, is a far more invidious beast, with its fingers in virtually every aspect of every life in Campania, the region centering around Naples. The most ordinary things in life -- a gallon of gas, an article of clothing, a bag of groceries, a cup of coffee -- are revenue streams for organized crime, and every ordinary soul is, willingly or not, implicated in the system, if not as an operative, then as a resource to exploit" (Read the Full Review)
BALTIMORE SUN. The Philadelphia Flower Show is always a floral spectacle and a welcome respite from winter. This year it is titled "Bella Italia": designer Sam Lemheney is attempting to carry visitors to the majestic gardens of ancient Rome, the lush hills of the Tuscan countryside, the romantic waters of Venice and the artful flora of Florence. (Read the Article)
BALTIMORESUN. The show is titled "Bella Italia," and designer Sam Lemheney is attempting to carry visitors to the majestic gardens of ancient Rome, the lush hills of the Tuscan countryside, the romantic waters of Venice and the artful flora of Florence. (Read the article by Susan Reimer)
AP. Italy is planning a virtual exhibition of Mesopotamian and Islamic treasures, many of which are still missing from the looted Baghdad repository, officials said Wednesday. Starting late next month, Internet surfers will be able to roam eight virtual halls showcasing artifacts dating from the birth of civilization in ancient Iraq to the founding of Baghdad in A.D. 762. (Read the article by Ariel David)
ANSA. Rome is serious about staging a Formula One Grand Prix in the capital, Mayor Gianni Alemanno said Thursday. ''We are having serious talks,'' he said. (Read the article)
ANSA. Rome. Vendors of freshly made croissants, ice-cream, pizza and sandwiches will have to shut up shop at 1 AM under the new law, which comes into effect in mid March. (Read the article)
ANSA. Italy's anti-trust authority has slapped fines totalling 12.5 million euros on 26 pasta producers and the national producers' union Unipi for creating a cartel with the aim of stifling competition and driving up prices. (Read the article)
INDUSTRY WEEK. In 2008, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, the value of U.S. imported Italian machinery for major capital goods sectors registered a total value of over $2.2 billion, reflecting a 4.4% increase over the previous year ($2.1 billion.)
Italy is the fourth largest solution provider of primary machinery and technology to the U.S. The sectors of Italian machinery manufacturers reporting the biggest growth in 2008 were machine tools (+36.3%, $317 billion), graphic, printing and converting machinery (+31.7%, $268 billion), foundry (+28.2%, $69.8 billion), agricultural / farm machinery (+7.5%, $508 billion), glass machinery (+7.4%, 26 billion) and textile machinery (+2.2%, $146 billion.) (Read the Article by Adrienne Selko)
INTERACTIVE INVESTOR. Italian business confidence fell for the ninth consecutive month to reach a record low in February, as order books shrank and the production outlook deteriorated, data showed on Thursday.
Economic research institute ISAE cited shrinking order books for the domestic and export market and a deteriorating production outlook. It spotted a positive sign in the sharply lower inventories level, but also said more companies had been denied access to credit. (Read the Article by Stephen Brown)