Marziali and Farneti for many of us is a symbol, a historical brand found in various optical stores in Bergamo and its province.
Together with the Urban District of Commerce we met Romano Marziali and Bruno Farneti, the owners of the business, to learn more about the history of their shop.
A story that speaks first of all of a deep friendship, which began in Switzerland in the 1950s. Once again, a company that was born from a bond, that of two young men who become brothers-in-law and above all great friends.
Romano began as a child to go to the Isnenghi optician shop, enchanted by the mechanics of the grinding wheels, initially taking care of filling the water container (used to cool them) and emptying the waste. Just enough to inspire him to go back to study, until a few years later, when he obtained an Optician Diploma.
It is he who involved Bruno, his sister’s husband, from Romagna, a sociable and smiley character. The two embarked on this adventure together and started a workshop first, and then opened their first store in Treviglio in 1963.
They are a perfect team. Mr. Farneti takes care of the commercial part and Mr. Marziali takes care of the technical part, with a particular and daring passion for marketing.
The first is described by his employees as "a playful guy who loved spending time with us and telling us jokes", while the second was decidedly more "tough and rigorous".
A perfect mix, who according to the children, were both hard workers - "At the time there were no Sundays, they always worked!" - and they had complete confidence in each other.
Today the business, which is continuously growing, is managed by Luca Marziali and Liliana and Valentina Farneti, children of these two extraordinary fathers who tell us about them with delicacy and admiration.
“From them I learned attachment to work and honesty: I won't sell you a product at all costs, but I’ll look for what helps you solve a problem - says Liliana - I realise that, like them, I care a lot and try to do well." And you, Luca? "From Farneti I definitely inherited the talent to communicate with everyone harmoniously, while from Dad undoubtedly the passion for marketing, which we still dicuss."
Marziali and Farneti were two courageous entrepreneurs, who focused on quality, in particular on medical lenses - still the pride of the company - and were able to grow a company that currently has about sixty employees.
However, they were also visionaries. Dedicating themselves to research and investing, a few decades in advance, in the training of salespeople and in communication.
An extraordinary mental openness that allowed them to become a group and to acquire new stores and making a historical mark. Giving the previous owners the space to be able to return whenever they desired, as well as small shareholdings to include them in the family and in the company.
And their wives? A new brand has been dedicated to them, bearing their surnames - Pavoni and Valli – as well as new specialised shops for families where the quality is the same, with more family-friendly prices. An easy way to thank and honour the commitment of the many women and mothers who manage the household expenses.
Today Liliana, Valentina and Luca carry on this brilliant business story, without forgetting that their fathers taught them above all the value a good example, preserved in a simple yet effective phrase: “Remember: in the morning, in the shop, you must always be the first to come in."
Marziali and Farneti for many of us is a symbol, a historical brand found in various optical stores in Bergamo and its province.
Together with the Urban District of Commerce we met Romano Marziali and Bruno Farneti, the owners of the business, to learn more about the history of their shop.
A story that speaks first of all of a deep friendship, which began in Switzerland in the 1950s. Once again, a company that was born from a bond, that of two young men who become brothers-in-law and above all great friends.
Romano began as a child to go to the Isnenghi optician shop, enchanted by the mechanics of the grinding wheels, initially taking care of filling the water container (used to cool them) and emptying the waste. Just enough to inspire him to go back to study, until a few years later, when he obtained an Optician Diploma.
It is he who involved Bruno, his sister’s husband, from Romagna, a sociable and smiley character. The two embarked on this adventure together and started a workshop first, and then opened their first store in Treviglio in 1963.
They are a perfect team. Mr. Farneti takes care of the commercial part and Mr. Marziali takes care of the technical part, with a particular and daring passion for marketing.
The first is described by his employees as "a playful guy who loved spending time with us and telling us jokes", while the second was decidedly more "tough and rigorous".
A perfect mix, who according to the children, were both hard workers - "At the time there were no Sundays, they always worked!" - and they had complete confidence in each other.
Today the business, which is continuously growing, is managed by Luca Marziali and Liliana and Valentina Farneti, children of these two extraordinary fathers who tell us about them with delicacy and admiration.
“From them I learned attachment to work and honesty: I won't sell you a product at all costs, but I’ll look for what helps you solve a problem - says Liliana - I realise that, like them, I care a lot and try to do well." And you, Luca? "From Farneti I definitely inherited the talent to communicate with everyone harmoniously, while from Dad undoubtedly the passion for marketing, which we still dicuss."
Marziali and Farneti were two courageous entrepreneurs, who focused on quality, in particular on medical lenses - still the pride of the company - and were able to grow a company that currently has about sixty employees.
However, they were also visionaries. Dedicating themselves to research and investing, a few decades in advance, in the training of salespeople and in communication.
An extraordinary mental openness that allowed them to become a group and to acquire new stores and making a historical mark. Giving the previous owners the space to be able to return whenever they desired, as well as small shareholdings to include them in the family and in the company.
And their wives? A new brand has been dedicated to them, bearing their surnames - Pavoni and Valli – as well as new specialised shops for families where the quality is the same, with more family-friendly prices. An easy way to thank and honour the commitment of the many women and mothers who manage the household expenses.
Today Liliana, Valentina and Luca carry on this brilliant business story, without forgetting that their fathers taught them above all the value a good example, preserved in a simple yet effective phrase: “Remember: in the morning, in the shop, you must always be the first to come in."
