Clusone, the town of many shops where e-commerce is of no interest to anyone.

Clusone (Bergamo) – The term e-commerce doesn't arouse much interest here. Here, commerce isn't just a business, but a living tradition, made up of shops, relationships of trust, and collective memory. The watchwords here are proximity and hospitality. Here, despite changes in the sector, businesses are holding their own, and customers demand connection, discussion, and dialogue. Welcome to Clusone , a large town in the Seriana Valley in Bergamo, population 8,500 . It's the town where shops are surviving the challenge of e-commerce and where nine (12%) of the 74 Bergamo businesses that recently received the "Historic and Traditional Business" award from the Lombardy Region are located. These nine shops, artisan workshops, and historic establishments join those already certified, but they represent only a fraction of the local businesses eligible for the recognition.

"The recognition from the Region," explains Roberto Balduzzi, Deputy Mayor and Councilor for Commerce and Tourism for the Municipality of Clusone, "demonstrates how the community of Clusone merchants knows how to preserve and enhance its roots, rewarding the dedication of families and entrepreneurs who, for decades, have contributed to the economic identity of Clusone." This year's certified businesses are Cicli Pellegrini (established in 1934), Extasis Profumeria (since 1984), and the Bianchi sisters' newspaper and tobacco shop in Piazza dell'Orologio, a landmark since 1961. And more. The historic recipe for the "Clusone Biscuit" comes from Pasticceria Trussardi (established in the area since 1978). Historic businesses also include Samantha Calzature (established in 1981), Fornaio Bonadei (since 1982), La Bussola restaurant (since 1969), Commercio Mascì restaurant, and Rifugio San Lucio.

"How have they managed to resist? Certainly by investing in themselves ," Balduzzi emphasizes, "and in training, including through the initiatives of the Commercial District, adapting their premises to change while always maintaining a warm, personal relationship, dedicated to their customers, who feel welcomed and cared for ." Then there's the context . Compared to a shopping mall, for example, Clusone is a city of art that attracts throngs of tourists—don't miss the medieval tower with the Astronomical Clock designed by Pietro Fanzago, the Oratory of the Disciplini with the famous painting of the Triumph of Death and the Danse Macabre—and where historical and artistic beauty blends with the commercial fabric. "As an administration," Balduzzi adds, "we have also implemented various initiatives and tax breaks to revive the opening of vacant shops."