LuminosityItalia

Chamber of Commerce panel On July 20, Mariella and I, owners of the new Chaoyang Creative Works PR and content agency in Milan, attended a meeting on business startups hosted by the Milan Chamber of Commerce. I understood little because it was in Italian, but you don’t need to speak the language to sit through two hours of Power Point presentations that contain a bewildering number of lists and requirements. The opening speaker noted that bureaucracy is one of the main barriers to startups and innovation in Italy – and that was immediately followed by presentations with a mind-numbing range of bureaucratic hurdles that must be cleared to start a new business and try to get a financing boost. One of the speakers told the sparse crowd of hopefuls that it takes six months to get a company registered, and it is even better to wait until next year. What does that do to the few young dreamers with a new idea in the audience? Are they still going to be on fire next year? ...

The Luca Ferraris Vineyard in Castagnole Monferrato in the Piedmont region of Italy has a surprising American connection The story traces back to the nineteenth century when Luca's great-grandfather Luigi Ferraris emigrated to America during the gold rush. Striking gold, he sent the money back to his wife Bruno Teresa, giving her the chance to realize her dream. After her husband passed away in 1921, she bought the house in Via al Castello that until recently housed Luca's winery. Two years later, Luca's grandfather Martino purchased II Casot, at the time nothing more than a simple rural hut in the middle of 40,000 square meters of land.  Martino planted vines and bought barrels to make wine with his own grapes in his own cellar. He started by selling his wine to wholesalers in the area, then later began to increase his business by selling larger bottles to individuals traveling back and forth to Turin every week on horseback. Today on that land is home to their  ...

Palermo Central Train Station Read Part I Part II As we stepped out of the town hall fortress, we pondered what to do until we left by overnight train. A cappuccino was certainly in order. A nearby café fit the bill, and as we relaxed from the stress of the trip and yet another government office, I noticed several older guys in aviator sunglasses – another signature fashion statement of the city – who were watching the street and their cellphones like movie-character mafiosi. I chastened myself for stereotyping, but also noted would be hard for criminals to find new career path even if they wanted to. The battle against the mafia might be on, but few are likely to retrain and become accountants, especially in a place with 30 percent unemployment. Sure gangsters must be plentiful. What else are they going to do? Reportedly they have literally moved up the food chain to bring their business acumen to supermarkets, offering to supply tomatoes you can’t refuse. After booking the over...