Today was a mainly free day in Verona. We didn’t have anything to do until our site visit to Consorzio della Moda in the afternoon. I spent our free morning walking around Verona’s shops and backstreets. It is a very pedestrian-friendly and easily navigable city with such incredible charm and Italian character. Unfortunately, it was a dark and rainy day so I had to use a picture from our first day in Verona. Although the rain wasn’t pleasant, I think it helped to keep the streets a bit quieter which was definitely a plus.

Our site visit to Consorzio della Moda was very educational. They are a consortium of Veneto-based fashion companies that works to help small companies stay competitive in a rapidly globalizing business landscape while maintaining the quality and creativity that is synonymous with the “Made in Italy” trade stamp. We heard from their Director and their President as well as got to tour one of their member companies, Mero & More. It was interesting to learn about the challenges facing small Italian manufacturers and why it is difficult for them to react on their own. We learned about the entire business process for Mero & More to see how each step was performed to gain a better understanding of how small businesses in this field operate.

After the lecture and site visit, we had dinner at Mero & More’s on-site cafe. We then headed back to the hotel. Tomorrow we set off for a day of site visits and a bus ride back to Milan. Stay tuned for more details.

Ciaio!