Luxottica to acquire Glasses.com
Italian eyewear group Luxottica Group has entered an asset purchase agreement to acquire glasses.com, a web site owned by health care provider WellPoint Inc. According to fashionunited.com, the acquisition is part of the eyewear groups plans to expand its digital offering in the US, which it states is estimated to be a 35.5 billion US doll...
"Storie di emigrazione lucana": aperto il bando del concorso video per studenti
"Storie di emigrazione lucana" è il titolo del concorso video rivolto ai singoli studenti, a gruppi di studenti e alle classi delle scuole secondarie di secondo grado della Basilicata, organizzato dalla Commissione regionale dei Lucani all'Estero e dal Consiglio regionale della Basilicata, in collaborazione con le Consulte studentesche di Potenza e...
It's a Big Year for Dante. Here's How One American Plans to Celebrate
by John Burger The great Italian poet Dante Alighieri was born three-quarters of a millennium ago this year. His native city of Florence, which has long gotten over its exile of the author of The Divine Comedy, is planning a huge celebration. But one American history professor is combining a conference in Rome to honor Dante with...
15 ways to piss off your Italian friends for sure
Italians are known for their welcoming ways. They can be a little hard to get to know at the beginning but once they welcome you into their circle you are family and they will do anything for you. They are also used to doing things the Italian way. They have full faith in the Italian art of living and with good reason. However, it makes th...
Shoe Master Giuseppe Zanotti on His 20-Year Career and Working with Beyoncé
His heels top every woman's lust-list, and his sneakers have become a must-have staple amongst every self-respecting hip hop artist. Giuseppe Zanotti, the San Mauro Pascoli-born Italian creative, whose sexy heels and gold plated sneaks, find their way to the red carpet, just as easily as they find their way to the street. I meet with Zanotti in the...
Designers from all over the world descend on Milan for the Salone del Mobile
by Marta Casadei The Salone del Mobile is a key event for the home furnishing sector, which has always been the flagship of Italian industry. This year the 54th edition of the trade show will open on Tuesday, April 14 at the Fair of Milan-Rho and will involve 2,000 exhibitors, including furniture, lighting and office accessory companies....
“Made in” labelling/2: Vice Minister Carlo Calenda wants to include furniture and jewelry
by Laura Cavestri The Italian government plans to keep fighting for "Made In" labelling. As the Vice Minister for Economic Development Carlo Calenda (who also oversees international trade) has explained: it's yes to a "Made In" limited to five sectors - ceramics, footwear and textile-clothing as proposed by the EU Commission, but also incl...
Dante turns Seven Hundred and Fifty
by John Kleiner On April 24th, Samantha Cristoforetti, Italy's first female astronaut, took time off from her regular duties in the International Space Station to read from the Divine Comedy. She picked the opening canto of the Paradiso, in which Dante describes his ascent through the circle of fire and his approach toward God: I was with...
Massimo Bottura's Pope Francis-Approved Refectory, and Recipe to Turn Stale Bread Into Gold
Italy's most progressive exhibition of sustainable cooking commences this Thursday, when the Michelin-starred chef Massimo Bottura throws open the doors of Refettorio Ambrosiano, the once-derelict theater repurposed to educate and feed the refugees and working poor who reside far across town from the multinational pavilions welcoming culinary touri...
Edutainment con l’orto verticale e il granaio americano: il Padiglione Usa a Expo
by Barbara Minafra Una cascata capace di scrivere messaggi di benvenuto con le gocce d'acqua, un'ampia scalinata che accoglie i visitatori e un orto verticale pieno di piantine che profumano di basilico, menta o rosmarino la terrazza. ll Padiglione a stelle e strisce che racconta il concetto alimentare americano 2.0, è un edificio progett...
Discovering one of Italy’s strongest R&D sectors with science journalist Riccardo Oldani’s
by Silvia Simonetti In the world's eyes, groundbreaking robotic innovations are usually associated with the high-tech research carried out in leading countries like the U.S. or Japan. Nevertheless, Italy as well boasts a very productive robotics sector, which is one of the best examples of our creativity, programming and manufacturing sk...
Italians and food: a love story told in photographs
The way we sit around the table to dine together but also what we eat can tell so much not only about our gastronomic habits but also about our culture and identity. It's quite an experience to see how the gastronomic costumes of a nation have changed during the years in correspondence with its most important historical, social and political events...