Eric J. Lyman

Stay informed with Eric J. Lyman’s coverage and analysis.

MILAN, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 07: A young woman holds a coffee drink as she checks her mobile phone during the opening of Europe’s largest and Italy’s first Starbucks Reserve Roastery, located inside a historic post office in Piazza Cordusio, on September 7, 2018 in Milan, Italy. Starbucks’ founder, Howard Schultz, said his vision for Starbucks came about during a visit to Italy in 1983. Bars in Italy serves 6bn espressos a year, generating turnover of €6.6bn. (Photo by Emanuele Cremaschi/Getty Images)

Big Macs and even bigger flops—American fast-food chains are languishing in Italy, and yet they keep coming

By Eric J. Lyman

SIR VESPA — In Disney and Pixar’s “Luca,” town bully Ercole Visconti (voice of Saverio Raimondo) is the repeat champion of the town’s Portorosso Cup race. He’s a Vespa-owning, pompadoured blowhard who has no doubt he can beat his newest challengers. Directed by Academy Award® nominee Enrico Casarosa and produced by Andrea Warren, “Luca” debuts on Disney+ on June 18, 2021. © 2021 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

What do a coffee pot, rugged shoes and a scooter have in common? Meet the brands that boomed during the pandemic

By Eric J. Lyman

Dish of Monograno Spaghettoni Felicetti. selection Cappelli. seasoned with lake carbonara. smoked trout and its eggs. Trattoria Carnera restaurant. Ala. Vallagarina. Trentino. Italy. Europe. (Photo by: Marco Simonini/REDA&CO/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Alarm bells ring in Italy as spiking wheat prices threaten the country’s most beloved dish

By Eric J. Lyman

CIVITAVECCHIA, ITALY – JULY 11: People fishing in front of a Costa Crociere cruise liner docked in the harbour of Civitavecchia on July 11, 2020 in Civitavecchia, Italy. MSC will restart operations, after being restricted by Covid 19, on July 15 according the fleet official website. Italy reports 12 deaths and 276 new cases during the last 24 hours. (Photo by Max Rossi/Getty Images)

‘An eyesore’: An armada of ghostly cruise ships is clogging the Italian Riviera, and locals are fed up

By Eric J. Lyman

A picture taken on January 27, 2017 in the Ferrero plant in Villers-Ecalles, northwestern France shows Nutella jars. – The Ferrero plant of Villers-Ecalles is the biggest plant of Nutella in the world producing 800 000 pots of the chocolate and hazelnut spread a day. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP) (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)

The world’s Nutella supply is under threat, and that’s igniting a ruckus in the Italian countryside

By Eric J. Lyman

TOPSHOT – The Eiffel Tower displays the message “No plan B” within the United Nations Climate Conference on Climate Change, on December 11, 2015 in Paris.<br />
World powers led a frenetic final push on December 11 to seal a UN accord aimed at averting catastrophic climate change, as sleep-deprived envoys battled in Paris over trillion-dollar disputes blocking a deal. / AFP / PATRICK KOVARIK (Photo credit should read PATRICK KOVARIK/AFP via Getty Images)

The IPCC climate report offers dire warnings—and a last, best chance to minimize the damage

By Eric J. Lyman

SASSI DI MATERA, MATERA, BASILICATA, ITALY – 2020/07/24: A man on a Vespa scooter rides in the old town. Also named the city of stones, Movie set for movies as “The Gospel according to Mattew” directed on 1964 by Pierpaolo Pasolini and “Passion” directed on 2004 by Mel Gibson, the city was the European Capital of Culture in 2019. (Photo by Antonio Balasco/KONTROLAB/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Ciao bella! Vespa accelerates out of lockdown with sales purring and investors buzzing

By Eric J. Lyman

Sanderson Le Creuset

‘A love affair with Le Creuset’: How a staple of the French kitchen turned into a global hit

By Eric J. Lyman

Young Rock — “Working The Gimic” Episode 101 — Pictured: Dwayne Johnson as Himself —

Can A.I. help Hollywood dub The Rock into another language? This startup thinks so

By Eric J. Lyman

Fjallraven-backpacks-1

A hit with Instagrammers and with investors, this hard-to-pronounce Swedish backpack brand is on a roll

By Eric J. Lyman

LS.Weenie.Boots.0614.AS A mosher wearing Doc Martens takes flight into the moshpit as he is boosted by a friend during the KORN performance at the KROQ Weenie Roast at Irvine Meadows Saturday afternoon. shot 6/15/96 (Photo by Al Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

A favorite among punk rockers, Doc Martens is reborn as a buzzy hot stock

By Eric J. Lyman

Bialetti, makers of the iconic Moka coffee pot, was on the brink of insolvency three years ago. A surge in at-home coffee-making and a makeover for the near 88-year-old has coffee aficionados and investors excited in 2021.

An indestructible Italian icon, the Moka pot is making a comeback with pod-snubbing coffee fans—and investors

By Eric J. Lyman

An illustration of Ponzi scheme mastermind Bernard Madoff portrayed as the “Joker” from Batman is seen on the cover of New York Magazine at a newstand February 24, 2009 in New York. Currently Madoff is free on 10 million dollars bail, but confined to his New York apartment under round-the-clock surveillance. In January a judge refused to lock up Madoff even after it was revealed he sent out more than a million dollars worth of jewelry to friends and relatives in violation of a court-ordered freeze on all his assets. AFP PHOTO/ TIMOTHY A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)

‘Seductive charm’: There’s a surprising thread linking Ponzi, Madoff, and today’s brazen crypto scammers

By Eric J. Lyman

Rep. Norm Dicks-Boeing

An Italian bank older than America itself is suddenly a hot commodity among American investors

By Eric J. Lyman

MONTALCINO, ITALY – OCTOBER 21: Labelling process Of Brunello di Montalcino Biondi Santi on October 21, 2011 in Montalcino, Italy. The bottles are all stored without labels, because they can spend up to decades in the cellar and the packaging would deteriorate. It would also be necessary to make changes to comply with specific laws. Consequently the bottles are labelled only when the time comes for their release for sale. (Photo by Marco BULGARELLI/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

After drought, disease, and now COVID, old-world winemakers adapt as only ancient businesses can

By Eric J. Lyman