1500 km away, in Sicily’s south-east, Gaetana Jacono runs the Valle dell’Acate winery. She is bringing to six generations of wine making tradition new production technologies and distribution approaches that are developing exports to large new markets.

Enterprises like Brembo and Valle dell’Acate have helped Italy in recent years gradually recover from its extended recession. These are mostly medium sized enterprises that are highly productive and have grown activity and created jobs though investment and exports, supported by government policies such as the Industry 4.0 programme or labour market and education reforms.

OECD ECOSCOPE
by Mauro Pisu and Tim Bulman,
Italy Desk, OECD Economics Department