ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the pattern of evolution of the Verona industrial district (ID), specializing in men's (and boys’) walking shoes of medium quality, located in the east of the Veneto region, in Northern Italy. From a spatial point of view, the Verona district is more a cluster than a traditional Italian district, 2 because it is articulated in three main local poles, internal to the same province (Bussolengo, near Lake Garda; Verona; and the territory between the D'Alpone Valley and the area of San Bonifacio and Cologna Veneta, at the western border of the province, in the direction of Vicenza). In 2002, the district was composed of 324 companies, 3 and 4038 employees (our interpretations of the Chamber of Commerce data). This nearly corresponds with the total make-up of the footwear sector of the province, which in 2002 was comprised 412 firms and 4520 employees. The total turnover of the district was estimated at about 1000 million euro, of which 60 per cent was exported abroad. 4 The Verona district is one of the most important footwear districts in Italy, 5 together with Montebelluna and the Riviera del Brenta (a local system specializing in women's shoes covering the high market segment, as discussed by Rabellotti 2004, and Belussi 2000).
