With energy resources dwindling and "sustainability" becoming a must-have word in the lexicon of almost every company in the developed world, the debate over the use of cleaner materials is intensifying, especially when it comes to plastic. Some claim the "war on plastic" is unjustified, with people to blame for pollution rather than the material itself, while others argue that taking…

Azimut Yachts, with a boat making factory at Avigliana, in the province of Turin, is Italy's premiere builder of yachts and megayachts, some of which total 30 meters (70 feet) in length. Founded in 1969, Azimut Yachts was originally a boat chartering service run by a young university student, Paolo Vitelli, with a passion for sailing. In 1970, the fledgling firm was doing so well that prestigious…

Though not the flashiest Italian car manufacturer, automotive firm Fiat has long been a staple of the country's industrial sector, providing vehicles to a wider mass market than its local brethren: —the Ferraris, Maseratis and Lamborghinis that cater only to the elite. As such, the firm's research and development center, with a main base in Orbassano, Turin, is constantly thinking up ways to…

Nothing but pasta could possibly be more representative of Italian sumptuousness than Ferrari, the sexy luxury race car brand that made its debut in 1947 with the 125S, produced in Maranello, Italy, and bearing the Ferrari trademark. Maranello, near the city of Modena, has been Ferrari’s home from the firm’s inception, and the main museum dedicated to the firm’s famous fast cars, as well as…

Plastic may not be the most beloved of materials to the more environmentally minded, but Plast 2012, a Milan, Italy-based show held last week, aimed to mold a different opinion of the material in people's minds. "Plastic is a huge and innovating world," said Mario Maggiani, director at Assocomaplast, the association of Italian plastics and rubber machinery producers. Those innovations include…