From boutiques to workshops, places where ancient artisan crafts are still intact, from food to fashion traditions. In our art cities the charm of history can be discovered also in a shop window. Walking on the streets and alleys in the historic centres you can see shops that date back to the mid-19th century, Art Nouveau style shops, authentic workshops where luthiers create prestigious violins, thanks to a creative inspiration that originated at the dawn of time.

Pastry shops, cafés, chemist shops and bookshops, hat shops, musical instruments: the art cities of Pianura Padana are full of historic shops. Bergamo is full of shops and historic commercial businesses. Ottica Gentili dates back to 1863, Ottica Isnenghi to 1860. Among restaurants, visit Osteria Tre Gobbi (since 1855) and Antico Ristorante del Moro Cappello d'Oro (since 1880). But Caffè - Pasticceria Cavour (since 1880) is the apple of the eye of the Città Alta. A café with a Viennese influence, a meeting point for poets and artists from Bergamo.

In Brescia there are numerous interesting historic shops. Like Dolcini, which since 1860 has been selling plants and flowers; Farmacia Caponati, which opened in 1810; Filippo Rovetta who started his business selling yarn for knitwear and haberdashery in 1780, or Salumeria Porteri Aleardo, opened in 1875. In Monza, the city of Theodelinda, there is the frames and mirrors workshop Pini Geremia, which has been working for 150 years in Via Mapelli, few steps away from the Arengario. Lodi is the place for pastry shops, but in Cremona, which boasts the highest number of historic shops in Lombardy, you can go on two tours dedicated to old shops. One starts in the Città Vecchia, from Piazza del Comune at Bar Portici del Comune (since 1860) to Corso Matteotti where you can see Vergani Bottega Storica (since 1837) in an 18th century building. The second tour is in the Città Nova, between Piazza S.Agata and Via Manzoni.

In Pavia the star of Vigoni shines brightly, the man who invented Torta Paradiso, with his shop still in Strada Nuova. Historic shops are one of the characteristics of Piacenza, which has over 160 in its province. The oldest shops date back to 1850. Many (about 44%) are small shops selling food and wine, but there are also businesses (32%) which have continued their activity by simply changing their name or owner.
Lower but still important is the percentage of artisan workshops (19%), whose activity is often passed on from father to son, contributing to the establishment of a notable tradition of enterprises. Since the first decades of the 20th century there have been historic shops in Parma on Strada Garibaldi, Piazza Filippo Corridoni, Strada della Repubblica, Piazzale Cervi, Strada Farini.

In Reggio Emilia, the historic shops are in the historic centre, on Via Emilia, from Porta Santo Stefano to Porta San Pietro and neighbouring streets. Here there is also Galleria del Mercato Coperto, whose recent renovation allowed for the re-establishment of a set of commercial activities that started in the first years of the twentieth century. Another successful activity is linked to traditional weekly markets in the main city squares, those of Contadino and Slow Food.

More than 37 shops gained the title of 'historic shop' in Modena. Shops, cafés, osterie have thrived in the hands of their founders, their heirs or those who bought them, keeping their original name and furniture. The oldest is "Premiata Salumeria Giuseppe Giusti", with a speciality: its foundation date, 1605, makes it the oldest delicatessen shop in Europe, with an over four-century long tradition. The two city markets boast 50 years of activity, and are also interesting from a historic and architectural point of view, as significant for their traditions and culture in Modena: Mercato Coperto in Via Albinelli (since 1931) and Mercato del Lunedì in the area Novi Sad (since 1955).