LuminosityItalia

BY MARIELLA RADAELLI LuminosityItalia Italian furniture design companies gained new momentum in U.S. and British markets in the first nine months of 2015, according to a just-released survey by the Milan Chamber of Commerce.  It found that exports to the U.S. increased 22. 8 percent over the same period last year. Economic factors making the U.S. one of the top export destinations for Italian designs are clear  —  the U.S. is the world’s largest market and has the biggest private sector globally.  The U.K. market was also robust for Italian furniture design firms, growing 17.4 percent in the period. The sector had a total value of export of about 7 billion euros in the first nine of 2015, a 6.4 percent increase. Germany and France led as export destinations among European countries. Italian furniture design businesses also continue to perform well in China, especially kitchen furniture, dining room set and sofas, sales of which grew by 38.9 percent in the wo...

Jon Van Housen and Mariella Radaelli, co-founders of and editors at LuminosityItalia, joined a panel presentation at the Monza Chamber of Commerce last week on quality content in online international marketing. Entitled “Content in King”, the session before about 35 small business owners and chamber members outlined the best practices in reaching out internationally through quality English-language websites, social media and professional content. Following their 45-minute presentation, Jon and Mariella answered a range of questions from the audience. “It was great to see the level of interest and number of questions asked,” Jon said after the meeting. “It shows there are people enthusiastic about growing their businesses and keen to engage the international community.” The panel also included Fabio Solighetto, co-owner of L'Albero dei Gelati, and Giordano Zambelli and Andrea Colombo, part of the "Made in Italy - Eccellenze in Digitale" initiative by the chamber of commerc...

Photos by Fabrizio Radaelli

BY MARIELLA RADAELLI LuminosityItalia.com As communities, business leaders and chambers of commerce continue to bridge the economies and cultures of China and Italy, one entrepreneur has shown what individual initiative can do. The festival is underway at Viale Sicilia through the holiday season. Photo: Fabrizio Radaelli Wen Long from Sichuan province has brought the first edition of the Chinese Lantern Festival to Monza. It opened on Oct. 1 and will continue to shine at Viale Sicilia throughout the holiday season. Wen said he fell in love with Italian culture when he was a kid. “After watching the movie Vacanze Romane, I realized that there was something magical about your culture,” he said at the Dec.18 Italy-China Exchange and Cooperation meeting in Monza, held at the offices of Confartigianato, Viale Stucchi 64. “In addition, historic characters such as Marco Polo and the Jesuit Matteo Ricci permeated my childhood,” he said. Local business leaders noted that exce...

“When you meet a man who combines the impetuosity of a Norman, the fantasy of a Latin and the manual ability of a Levantine — while hiding the naive and disarming curiosity of an eternal child behind the grim face of a curly blond Calabrese brigand — maybe then you have known Michele Sangineto.” — Gabriele Abate, engineer By MARIELLA RADAELLI LuminosityItalia.com Michele and the viola organista he built based on the design of Leonardo da Vinci. Master luthier Michele Sangineto was born in Albidona in the province of Cosenza in 1944. His small hometown in the Calabria region of southern Italy was founded on the ruins of the ancient Grecian city Leutarnia. There Michele began to study art and later earned an art diploma in creative woodworking in the nearby town of Castrovillari. In the early 1970s Michele moved to Monza, a medieval city outside of Milan, where he began his exploration into the art of lutherie and the science of organology. Driven by a natural curiosity an...

BY MARIELLA RADAELLI Luminosityitalia.com Smart family controlled businesses are the fabric of Italian economy. Ten were awarded the “Di Padre in Figlio- il gusto di fare impresa” prize on Nov 28 at the Palazzo Mezzanotte at Piazza Affari in Milan. Now in its sixth year, the honor is given to entrepreneurs in at least the second generation of a family business that has a registered office in Italy and revenues of more than 10 million euros. Run by N+1, Borsa Italiana, Banca Albertini SYZ S.p.A. and Deloitte, among the others, and supported by Milan and Monza Chamber of Commerce, the awards are well respected nationally as a celebration of individual and collective entrepreneurship that demonstrates how family businesses turn visions into reality. From almost 150 entries, an independent judging panel of business leaders narrowed the field to 45 finalists and finally 10 were awarded. But all this year’s finalists were notable for their distinctive character and passion as well as q...

“We don’t need help with English-language content – my cousin’s friend already did it.” The friend studied English for six years in the Italian school system. Her work is good enough, the potential client reasoned. But is it? The hard truth is: No it isn’t. Many quality businesses reach a point where they begin to look overseas for even more clients and consumers. Not surprisingly, their gaze often settles on the U.S., the wealthiest country in the world and the largest market. After years of hard work making refined products, smaller Italian companies often look to exports, not only to increase sales but also to show their vision on the global stage. Yet as they reach out, they entrust their crucial English-language website and other online content – along with their dream – to a friend, family member or Italian-speaking agency. But another hard truth is that even the most keen and able writer in a foreign language is rarely good enough. Today’s content has to cut through the all th...