Abstract

The case in these pages is related to a territorial marketing project within a district of the city of Milan. The district (named 5vie, i.e. 5 streets) shows a relevant historic and artistic heritage - as typical in the center of many Italian towns - together with a good number of highquality artisan and boutique small shops. But a period of crisis has affected the district in the late years. A project was therefore created and managed in 2014 by a few citizens (with some support by institutions), with the objective to re-vitalize the district also vis-à-vis the international market. A branding strategy of the district has been activated aiming at a high-level positioning, by leveraging on the main values of the milanese creativity (art, fashion, design) and on the corresponding many local «excellences» which can be found there. A strong plan of local events has been carried out in the district which resulted successfully crowded, together with the launch of a digital community among the milanese "creative class" and a strong digital marketing support to the local business operators. A major objective of this project is to expand the international awareness and appeal of the italian cultural patrimony in the less known centres and attract good international tourists to the «excellences » that frequently are hardly visible in these urban centres. Therefore the district is expected to act as a primary "hub" in a network of similar initiatives already in development in some others italian urban centres.