The tradition of Vigevano footwear is old, witnessed by a municipal statute dating back to 1392.

They were born in Vigevano the first shoe factory in the industrial model in 1866.

(Louis Bocca) in about 40 years became 36 laboratories and almost 10,000 people employed in industry (many of which homeworkers), in 1937 there were 873 companies with 13,000 employees to get to 900 companies with nearly 20,009 employees in 1965. In parallel to the shoe industry also spread the textile industry for the production of silk and coton. Nel 1854 the railway line was inaugurated Mortara-Vigevano in 1870 and was extended to the textile industry after World War II Milano.After the war is strongly whereas as footwear, after the boom of the fifties and sixties, he began a drastic decline, partially offset by the development of engineering aims to produce machinery for the footwear, that even today, despite strong competition from other countrys.The first Italian manufacturer of machines for footwear in 1901 and the first sneakers made ​​of rubber of the '20s.

The internationally renowned capital of the shoe, however, dates back to the '50s / '60s, when there were over 21,000,000 pairs produced per year, much of which was exported. And 'golden era in the context of the creation museum, built by the historian Luigi Barni and named after its chief advocate, entrepreneur Peter Bertolini.