Where Italy's Family-Run Factories Go From Here One year into the worst crisis of a generation, the nation's ancestral trades may â finally â be on the upswing. Author: Feb 16, 2021 An employee cuts tissues at a clothing factory in the town of Alba in Italy's Piedmont region. Photo: Marco Bertorello/AFP via Getty Images One year into the worst crisis of a generation, the nation's ancestral trades may â finally â be on the upswing. For the ancestral footwear factories that dot Italy's eastern coast, March is one of the busiest months. Not only do these four weeks arrive smackdab in the middle of manufacturers' enormous spring deliveries, they also usher in the lucrative resort season, too. So as the Northern Hemisphere begins its annual defrost, Italy's family-run operations are shuttling their lush silks and buttery insoles across the globe for you to wear all summer long.