Showing posts with label prada. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prada. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Chi è Giuseppe Sala

RITRATTO INDISCRETO DEL CANDIDATO SINDACO DI MILANO

di Mauro Suttora

Milano, 11 novembre 2015

La sua canzone preferita è Riders on the Storm dei Doors: cavalieri nella tempesta. E alle tempeste Giuseppe Sala, figlio di un mobiliere di Varedo (Monza), un metro e 80 per 73 chili, è abituato. Quelle passate (commissario Expo), e quelle future: si candida sindaco per il Pd, ma dovrà passare sotto le forche caudine delle primarie il 7 febbraio. 

E qualcuno a sinistra storce il naso di fronte al suo pedigree politico. Fu infatti la sindaca berlusconiana Letizia Moratti, cinque anni fa, a nominarlo direttore generale del Comune di Milano, e poi capo di Expo.

Guarito da un tumore, sposato tre volte
  
Sala, sposato tre volte, niente figli, guarito da un linfoma non Hodgkin (il tumore che si prese suo padre), dopo la Bocconi ha fatto tutta la sua carriera alla Pirelli, dove diventa amministratore delegato a soli 39 anni. A Telecom è primo assistente di Marco Tronchetti Provera. Dopo 23 anni la sua buonuscita è stata di cinque milioni.

All’Expo il nuovo sindaco di sinistra Giuliano Pisapia lo conferma nel 2011. Non viene toccato dalle tangenti che mandano in galera il suo vice e il general manager.

Villa di fronte a Portofino a Zoagli (Genova), a Milano vive in una casa di 180 metri quadri in affitto in zona Brera con la terza moglie Dorothy De Rubeis: 46 anni, laurea in legge a Bari, avvocato, consulente finanziaria di  importanti società, ma anche con interessi artistici.

La coppia, infatti, è stata avvistata all’ultima prima della Scala e poi all’inaugurazione del museo Prada.  E la signora De Rubeis in giugno è diventata una dei direttori della galleria d’arte Wunderkammern.

Monday, November 26, 2007

Newsweek: Italy loves America

THE ITALIAN LOVE AFFAIR

The country appreciates everything about America: its cities, its celebrities and even its cowboy culture.

by Mauro Suttora

NEWSWEEK

Link all'articolo originale su Newsweek

November 26, 2007

This might come as a belated consolation to poor Karen Hughes, who is leaving her post as the U.S. head of public diplomacy after struggling for two years to advocate American ideas around the world: although Italians dislike aggression (81 percent opposed the Iraq War), Italy just loves the United States. In 2003, 30 percent of Italians had a positive image of the country, a 60-year low. But now, according to a Pew Research poll, America's image is positive among 53 percent and negative for 38. Italy beat everybody in the European Union but Poland: in Britain, 51 percent love the United States; in France, 39 percent; and in Germany, only 30 percent are pro-American, with 66 percent against.

Italians like America so much, they want to see the real thing. Due in part to the strong euro, more than 1 million Italian tourists headed to the United States this year, breaking the old record. In August, Italians defy the humidity and head to Florida, and while cheap fares to Britain still make London the most favored destination for Italian travelers, this year New York surpassed Paris for the No. 2 spot. A new Italian airline, Eurofly, now connects even minor cities like Bologna and Palermo to New York.

Among the visitors: Italian politicians, who come for art and fashion shows financed by Italian institutions, and to meet and greet with Italian-Americans who, since 2006, may vote in Italian elections if they still have their Italian passport. Former prime minister and now opposition leader Silvio Berlusconi just bought a house for his youngest daughter to attend university in New York City. And indeed Italians of every political stripe love U.S. politicians. John F. Kennedy and Bill Clinton inspire the left. Ronald Reagan is a mythic figure for the right. Walter Veltroni - Rome's mayor, and possibly Italy's next prime minister - says his political idols are Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. His new party: the "Democrats."

But let alone politics. Fashion designers Valentino, Cavalli, Prada and Armani all own homes and spend time in New York City. Donatella Versace and her daughter live there. Other positive indicators of pro-Americanism: nine out of the top 10 movies at the Italian box office in October were from the United States. In France, ticket proceeds from domestic films equal that of American movies. But in Italy, Hollywood films outgross Italian movies by a margin of 38 percent.
At the recent Rome Film Festival even American B-listers received celebrity treatment. George Clooney is a fixture, as well, in his villa on Lake Como, and Italians are proud that Tom Cruise got married here, that Brad and Angelina began loving each other while shooting in Amalfi and that Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal rekindled their romance in Rome. Eighty percent of the television series broadcast in Italy are also made in the U.S.A. "House" is the most successful series in a decade, with 22 percent of prime-time audience share. Music? Zucchero, Italy's biggest star, considers himself a Louisiana bluesman. Art? Larry Gagosian, the American dealer, will soon open his first continental gallery in Rome. Invitations to the opening are the hottest tickets in town.

Italians have adored America for 60 years, ever grateful for liberation from the Nazis and for introducing them to rock and roll, disco, "Sex and the City" and the iPod. Rome was once the world's capital, but Italians are happy to acknowledge that the power has shifted to America. "America is a big place where people like to chew problems and projects," says Beppe Severgnini, author of "La Bella Figura: A Guide to the Italian Mind." "Italy is a smaller country obsessed with people and with the past. To look at, read about, dream and talk of America is like taking a mental holiday for many of us."

This month, the most comprehensive exhibition of 19th-century American art will open in Brescia, near Milan. Works will come from Washington's National Gallery and lesser-known spots like the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming. That museum also contributed to "The Mythology of the American West," an exhibition that opened in September in France. Yes, it seems all of Europe is back to admiring the cowboys. But, remember, the Italians were first.

Suttora is a senior editor at Oggi, Italy’s largest weekly magazine, and the author of “No Sex in the City: Adventures of an Italian Man in New York”

©2007 Newsweek, Inc.

Letters to the Editor


Newsweek, 26 novembre 2007

Storia d’amore italiana

All’Italia piace tutto dell’America: le città, le celebrità, e perfino la sua cultura cowboy.

di Mauro Suttora

Può consolarsi in extremis la povera Karen Hughes, che lascia la guida della ‘diplomazia pubblica’ statunitense dopo avere lottato due anni per propagandare gli ideali americani nel mondo: anche se agli italiani non piacciono le aggressioni (l’81 per cento era contro la guerra in Iraq), l’Italia ama gli Stati Uniti.

Nel 2003 solo trenta italiani su cento avevano un’idea positiva degli Usa, il risultato peggiore in 60 anni. Ma ora, secondo un sondaggio Pew Research, l’immagine dell’America è positiva per il 53 per cento, e negativa per il 38. L’Italia batte tutti nell’Unione Europea, tranne la Polonia: in Gran Bretagna infatti i filoamericani sono 51 su cento, in Francia 39 e in Germania solo 30, con il 66 per cento contro.

Gli italiani amano l’America, e vogliono andare a vederla di persona. Anche grazie all’euro forte, quest’anno più di un milione di italiani hanno visitato gli Usa, battendo ogni record. Perfino in agosto gli italiani sfidano l’umidità e vanno in Florida. Anche se grazie ai voli low-cost Londra è sempre la meta preferita dai viaggiatori italiani, quest’anno New York ha conquistato il secondo posto scavalcando Parigi. Una nuova compagnia italiana, Eurofly, ora collega direttamente a New York anche città minori come Bologna e Palermo.

Fra i visitatori più assidui: i politici italiani, che arrivano per eventi artistici e modaioli tutti finanziati da enti pubblici italiani, e anche per coltivare gli italoamericani che dal 2006 possono votare alle elezioni se conservano ancora il passaporto tricolore.
Silvio Berlusconi, ex premier e ora capo dell’opposizione, ha appena comprato una casa per la figlia più giovane che frequenta l’università a New York. Ma ogni fede politica ha la sua passione americana. John Kennedy e Bill Clinton ispirano la sinistra. Ronald Reagan è un mito per la destra. Walter Veltroni - sindaco di Roma e prossimo possibile premier - dice che i propri idoli sono Kennedy e Martin Luther King. Il suo nuovo partito: i “Democratici”.

Ma lasciamo la politica. Gli stilisti Valentino, Cavalli, Prada e Armani hanno tutti casa a New York, e ci stanno parecchio tempo. Donatella Versace ci abita con la figlia. Altri indicatori di filoamericanismo: nove fra i dieci film che hanno incassato di più in Italia in ottobre erano statunitensi. In Francia i film francesi sono visti quanto quelli americani. In Italia invece Hollywood batte il cinema italiano con un margine del 38 per cento. Alla recente Festa del cinema di Roma anche artisti americani di serie B hanno ricevuto un’accoglienza da star. George Clooney è ormai una presenza familiare nella sua villa sul lago di Como. Gli italiani sono orgogliosi che Tom Cruise si sia sposato qui, che Brad e Angelina abbiano cominciato ad amarsi mentre giravano un film ad Amalfi, e che Reese Witherspoon e Jake Gyllenhaal abbiano riannodato la loro love story proprio a Roma.

Anche l’ottanta per cento dei serial tv trasmessi in Italia sono made in Usa. “Dr. House” è la serie di maggiore successo da dieci anni, con uno share del 22 per cento in prima serata. Musica? Zucchero, il cantante più celebre d’Italia, si considera un bluesman della Louisiana. Arte? Larry Gagosian, il potente commerciante d’arte contemporanea americano, sta per aprire a Roma la sua prima galleria nell’Europa continentale. Gli inviti all’inaugurazione sono i più ambiti in città.

Gli italiani adorano l’America da 60 anni, eternamente grati per la liberazione dai nazisti - e per averli iniziati al rock and roll, la disco, “Sex and the City” e l’iPod. Roma fu un tempo la capitale del mondo, ma gli italiani sono felici di ammettere che oggi quel potere è passato agli Stati Uniti.
“L’America è un posto enorme dove alla gente piace masticare problemi e progetti”, dice Beppe Severgnini, autore del libro ‘La Bella Figura: Guida alla mente italiana’. “L’Italia è un Paese più piccolo, ossessionato dai personaggi e dal passato. Guardare, leggere, sognare e parlare dell’America per molti di noi è come prendersi una vacanza mentale”.

Questo mese apre a Brescia, vicino a Milano, la mostra più completa sull’arte americana del diciannovesimo secolo. Sono in arrivo quadri dalla National Gallery di Washington e da posti meno conosciuti come il Buffalo Bill Historical Center di Cody (Wyoming). Questo museo contribuisce anche alla “Mitologia del West americano”, mostra in corso da settembre in Francia. Sì, pare proprio che tutta l’Europa ami di nuovo i cowboys. Ma ricordatevi: gli italiani sono stati i primi.

© Newsweek

Monday, April 12, 2004

Mauro of Manhattan

NO SEX IN THE CITY

New York Observer, April 12, 2004

by Mauro Suttora


We are done with Sex and the City here in Manhattan, but in Italy they’re still airing last year’s episodes and dubbing the final series. Many Italians are crazy about it, and ask me how the real thing is in New York. 
After one year of living in the city (and witnessing one episode being shot right where I work, at the Rizzoli bookstore on 57th Street), I can reply: Liza, Manhattan, in her mid-30′s. Tall, beautiful, sexy: an irresistible smash. Let’s be scientific: My friend Andrea Califano, professor of genomics at Columbia University, explains that Liza is the perfect phenotype, meaning a genotype (the universal “fashion victim”) who can be detected only in a specific environment (Upper East Side).
The night we met, I walked her home. She was heavily drunk, but found the lucidity to enter a deli and buy Altoids (giant American mints for your breath). In the phenotype language, that means “Kiss me.” Downstairs from her apartment, she muttered something about Eros Ramazzotti and Laura Pausini. I jumped right in: “Let me translate them for you.”
“You come and you go”, she ordered imperiously, pretending to get back in control. I was soon to learn that “pretending” and “control” are two main features of the Upper East Sider. Other key words are “stress” and “relax.”
“Let’s put on some relaxation music …. ” She stopped me when our lips touched. She kissed like a princess. She wore luscious leopard pants. But in bed, she turned out as warm as a Mont Blanc glacier. Nevertheless, I fell for her.
Frigidity is considered a minor problem by New Yorkers: They rely on 12-steps programs or yoga to overcome it. Once I went to bed with an exquisite divorcée. I tried hard to please her. “Don’t worry, I never come the first time,” she finally told me.
I couldn’t wait for the second time. Same scene, until she smiled: “I seldom come.”
This phenotype utilizes her vagina mainly to have monologues with. The 10021 zip code (richest on earth) is the empire of finger and clitoris: “The quickest way to a woman’s heart is through her clit,” wrote comedian Wanda Sykes on Esquire a few months ago. “When we say ‘Harder! Harder!’ that means ‘Take it out and touch my clit.’”
No wonder “vibrant” has become the most used positive adjective here.
Liza and me have been together for a few weeks. She was very affectionate: Every two to three hours, she called me or sent me e-mails and cell messages. She showered me with attentions and gifts: heart-shaped chocolates, little funny letters, candies against cough. We shared lunch breaks, she would come to pick me up at work, we slept together. She drank a lot. “I’ll dry you up,” I joked her. She didn’t appreciate. And I didn’t enjoy paying the fantastic wine bills in restaurants.
She wore Prada shoes, Bulgari watches, Helen Yarmak furs. She used to carry her $2,000 Dolce and Gabbana bag hanging on her arm protruded in front of her, strutting majestically as if she held some imaginary cup in her hand. 
She would rarely venture west of Sixth Avenue and south of 50th Street: “I don’t like downtown; it’s dirty.” She couldn’t walk with her impressive high heels on, so plenty of taxis were essential. She was constantly in debt: rescheduling, consolidating, refinancing it.
She didn’t mention children, although her child-bearing time was running out. It’s incredible how New York women believe they can easily be mothers at 40. Little by little, she took more time for herself: girlies’ nights, gym, jogging, shopping, hairdresser, errands, bikini wax, facials, sunbathing on the rooftop …. Nails, most of all.
“I am stressed, I have to relax, I need my space,” she would tell me while canceling dates.
“Have you ever thought of incorporating me in your relaxation time, or making love is just one more tiresome activity for you?” I mildly protested.
She dumped me by e-mail. Suddenly, she didn’t want to see me nor even say a word on the phone. The day before, she was talking about us meeting her parents and making plans for a trip to Italy: schedules, planes to book, places to visit. The day after, she couldn’t stand me. 
“It is best to go our separate ways,” she wrote, “I feel suffocated. I tried to make things work but it was not there for me, I got caught up in the moment …. Who would not want to go to Italy? You are too much, I am overwhelmed.”
The cheapest Italian beach playboy would flush his used women down the toilet with more grace. Or perhaps we Eurotrash are too sentimental. I don’t mind being ditched, it was just the speed from sweet to sour which surprised me. I blamed this oligophrenia on the booze. I asked her the real reason for the turnaround.
“To be quite honest with you, I am in love with another man,” she replied. Ah, the usual Upper East Side sport: double dating, overbooking …. Poor him:Where was he during that month? There are many Lizas on those blocks. Not all necessarily gold diggers, nor man-eaters. Just “fear of commitment,” I am told. Or “decline of desire.” No sex in the city.
-Mauro Suttora