An important shopping attraction is the production of high-quality shoes by master craftsmen of the Brenta Riviera. This local craft dates back to the 13th and 14th centuries, when Venetian aristocrats used to spend their summer holidays on their villas along the Riviera, bringing their servants with them, including the “calegheri”– their own personal shoemakers and cobblers, who founded a guild of shoemakers in Venice in 1268. Today, this craft has been transformed into a small industrial enterprise, perpetuating and modernising the know-how of medieval guilds, with a production of excellence acquired by the most important international brands.
Located in Stra, Villa Foscarini Rossi hosts the Footwear Museum (museodellacalzatura.it). Here visitors can find out more about the entrepreneurial journey of the Rossi family, the relationships forged by the company with the biggest designer brands. A visit to the museum represents an incredible journey through the Riviera’s timeless shoemaking traditions and the evolution of customs and fashion styles in the second half of the 20th century. The museum exhibits over 1,500 footwear models, through which it is possible to discover how our sense of style and fashion has changed, also thanks to the creativity of designers, showcasing their unique language, such as Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Ungaro, Givenchy, Anne Klein, Genny, Fendi, Richard Tyler, Vera Wang, Calvin Klein, Porsche Design, Christian Lacroix, Emilio Pucci, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Loewe, Kenzo, Donna Karan and Celine. Not only designer brands, but also a small but precious collection of Venetian footwear models of bygone days.
In the Riviera del Brenta, centuries-old manufacturing skills have become an economic driver and cultural identity. The footwear district, known worldwide for its luxury shoes, brings together more than 550 companies in a complete supply chain and employs over 10,500 people. In 2018, its turnover reached almost €2.1 billion and production exceeded 20 million pairs, 92% of which were destined for foreign markets.
‘Its origins date back to 1898 when Giovanni Luigi Voltan, drawing on his experience in the United States, created Italy’s first industrialised complex in Stra,’ explains Franco Ballin, President of the Politecnico Calzaturiero (Footwear Polytechnic). The introduction of new machinery and innovative methods of work organisation led to the first real technological leap forward. Since then, our network of SMEs has continued to invest in training. Every year,‘ he concludes, ’more than 300 young people and 1,000 employees attend courses at our Polytechnic, which for almost a century has been the technology transfer hub for the Brenta Riviera footwear district.”
In the Riviera del Brenta, the footwear industry, as Franco Ballin recounts, reached its full development in 1898 with the birth of the first mechanised footwear industry. At the end of the 19th century, Giovanni Luigi Voltan, drawing on his experience in the most important footwear industries in the United States, created Italy’s first industrialised footwear complex in Stra. The Voltan shoe factory served as a veritable school, accumulating and transmitting, through the factory’s work experience, new and modern knowledge capable of boosting local development. The specificity of the Brenta Riviera sector lies in the fact that almost all of the “designer” footwear on the global market is produced – largely co-designed and marketed – by footwear factories based in the Brenta Riviera. This is why, throughout the Riviera area, it is easy to find outlets and shops offering the opportunity to purchaseprestigious high-quality footwear at competitive prices.
Buying well and at the right price is always a great deal, and a good purchase always completes a travel experience. Along the Brenta Riviera, footwear is the real highlight: local workshops stand out for their quality, accuracy, refinement and meticulous attention and care in every stage of production, and are chosen by major brands to create exclusive, high-end products. Here, visitors can find many opportunities that make the shopping experience truly unique.
Fashionable shofootwear also goes hand in hand with fashionable clothing, bags and accessories, and the Brenta Riviera offers a wide range of outlets where high quality and luxury are combined with significant savings.
