Front Page

“Made in Italy” products continue to be a leader in the fashion world. The Italian designers and manufacturers constantly re-invent themselves and set new standards in design and innovation. They have gained respect and appreciation worldwide. The “made in Italy” label is paired with creativity, innovation, craftsmanship, tradition and quality.

Americans have always been fascinated by Italians. Throughout history, Italians have made headlines in the United States from the historic trials of Sacco and Vanzetti to the the musical legacies of Caruso, Pavarotti, Verdi and Vivaldi to the timeless masterpieces of Michaelangelo, da Vinci, Raffaello and Botticelli to the cinematic legends like Fellini, De Sica, Loren, Magnani and Mastroianni to the science of Galilei to the impact of the Vatican on our own Roman Catholic churches to the controversy that Christopher Columbus still stirs up to this day.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti has offered up a little refresher (and perhaps slightly revisionist) course in economic history. Ina wide-ranging interview with The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Monti — a longtime economics professor — hailed the Germans for being the founders of Europe’s post-World War II market economy.

Prescient or foolhardy? Investors who took a punt on Italian government bonds late last year are already sitting on handsome profits, leaving those who missed out asking whether Italy under Mario Monti’s technocratic government has truly turned a corner.