I meet Silvano Belotti for a coffee. Very elegant, with a pair of glasses in autumn shades and a little English. Although overwhelmed by a thousand appointments and commitments, he manages to take the time for an intimate and at the same time frank chat.

I would start talking about your shops, about your arrival in Via Nassa. Many shops close and you open ...

(Smiles amused) «First of all it has always been a dream of mine to have a shop in Via Nassa and today I can say that I have realized it. Furthermore, I do not want to sound aggressive or not very diplomatic, but the real problem of the Via Nassa are not the customers: Via Nassa is beautiful, it is the heart of Lugano and Ticino - as well as being a destination for walks for all of us -, the points to be addressed. there are others: rentals, events, the approach to tourism… ».

The Capuchins arrive. Dark for Silvano Belotti. I kindly ask him to raise his voice a little, because I'm afraid I won't be able to use the recording.

«This is my tone of voice, which many criticize me (laughs heartily). Now I try to raise it ».

We were dealing with the theme of Via Nassa, with its traders and the decline in attendance ...

«Yes, I was saying that the Via Nassa is one of the most beautiful routes in Switzerland and I'm not exaggerating, that's why we have to do everything to keep it alive, lively. I don't want to give lessons to anyone, but we professionals of Via Nassa must, together, take a step in this direction: retract excessively high rental contracts, revise sales prices and become more flexible on extraordinary openings. There aren't many alternatives… that's why we have already moved in this direction ».

Sorry, but what does it mean to review sales prices? Does it mean that the prices we see in Via Nassa are higher because they are in Via Nassa? A bit like in Via Monte Napoleone in Milan?

“Absolutely not, at least as far as I'm concerned. The point is that to be competitive we must have European prices and not Swiss prices. This undoubtedly means changing many rules of our internal market, but it is a commitment that we must make towards the consumer also because, let's not forget, today with a click anyone can collect a lot of information about a product in a few minutes and, last but not least, check prices. Competition is therefore no longer just Ticino over Ticino ».

(I interrupt him)

Yes… also because Italy is not so far away!

«Don't make me angry and don't try to talk to me about Italy's prices (we laugh at the provocation). The reality is that many believe they are saving, but data in hand is not the case. Thanks to the strength and credibility of the Belotti Group, made up of over 30 years of presence on the market and 10 Centers in Ticino, we have achieved that 85% / 90% of our products do not have a price difference compared to the European one, because with most of our suppliers we have succeeded in making this need and this necessity pass clear ».

In short, it is not worth going to Italy, also because in addition to the price you have to calculate the journey and the time… but let's go back to Via Nassa. You talked about rents, prices, but also about the lack of flexibility linked to extraordinary store openings ...

"In recent months I have heard many complaints in Via Nassa, founded for charity, but we must act to change things! Let me give you an example: on the last Sunday that it was possible to remain open, we only joined the initiative in three shops. Lugano is the center of Ticino, the navel of Ticino, here we have the most beautiful hotels and if I am in Lugano on vacation what do I do? I go out ... but I find the shops are closed. We should therefore not be surprised if on Sunday, in Como, we find a full house. These are choices that every entrepreneur can make, freely, thinking about the present, but with an eye always vigilant on the future… without forgetting the key role of our authorities ».

Indeed, when I visit a European city myself, I appreciate the fact that the shops are open, also because maybe you have a little more time for shopping ...

«Exactly, because today purchases are more and more thought out. Buying glasses can take some time, it is not an expense that should be trivialized. You have to choose your lenses carefully, because today we are no longer talking about standard lenses, but about customized lenses. This is why it makes me laugh when I am told that many go to Italy ... with what advantage? I invite anyone to come to us, take an exam, experience the experience and service of a Belotti Center and then look around. From this point of view I am very serene ».

Let's take a step back and from Via Nassa we go back to that corner shop near the Piazza della Foca ...

“We were born right there, in 1988, in Via Teatro. A very small shop, which brought our philosophy to the public, immediately rewarded by customers, a philosophy that has become the perfect formula for our expansion and for our entrepreneurial dream ».

Are you speaking in the plural because the adventure started with your wife Nadia?

«Exactly (He smiles satisfied). I met my wife in Giornico, we fell in love and we never left each other ”.

In Giornico?

"Yup. My wife is a patrician from Giornico. Instead, I was born in San Pellegrino Terme, where they make water, and when I was one and a half years old I came to Switzerland with an uncertain future and everything to build. Just think that not so long ago my cousin sent me the photo of my paternal home, which I haven't seen for a very long time, and I felt a great emotion ».

Are your parents still alive?

“My mom did (pause). She has been a pillar, she has always helped us by showing us her support and her love. Unfortunately my father died in a bad work accident at a very young age, he was 38, leaving my mother alone with three children. I am not ashamed to say that I put the first 100 francs in the bank at the age of 19 and a half ».

And perhaps it is thanks to this life lesson that you are, you are, able to build what you have done ...

“I fell in love with Nadia at 19 (pause). In December we have been together for forty years, not a day and a half, forty years! Before our daughter Nicole arrived, we worked side by side like crazy. "

And how did you do it? It's not easy to do the same job, be husband and wife, and start a business from scratch ...

«We chose to divide the business into two sectors: my wife took care of the financial, I took care of the technician. Then, with the birth of Nicole, I started to follow everything by allowing my wife to take care of our daughter ».

Are you in society too?

“We're working on it (laughs). In any case, he is 18 years old, he has yet to finish his studies and gain experience. But yes, my dream is that one day it will be part of our company ».

Let's go back to the beginning. You grew up at a time when eyewear, in the 80s / 90s, was little associated with fashion ...

«Actually yes, I too had my crisis at eighteen when I took them off to leave the house and today, he thinks, I can't help it. But I must say that already in the 90s things started to change. In the past the brands only put the signature, but not the technique, today instead the eyewear has become a must, a refined accessory and therefore also the big brands invest in design and personalize it ».

Without forgetting that more and more people need glasses ...

"Statistically and clinically it has been proven that the use of these devices (picks up the cell phone) and spending a lot of time at the computer are creating an important development of problems, first of all myopia".

Did you also notice it with the kids?

«Absolutely yes, even if initially there are side effects: dry eyes, sore eyes, headache, lack of concentration. We must understand that we should not go to the ophthalmologist only when we do not see each other, but also when we have problems related to the eyes. Perhaps it is good to remember that it is not the eye that looks, but the brain, so if we feel tired after a reading that theoretically should be pleasant or after watching a film ... a visit to the optician, therefore a professional in the sector, would be desirable".

But what if someone doesn't have the money or worries about overspending?

«Look, write it big and go ahead: the Belotti service is the same for everyone and there is always a solution. My collaborators are attentive to all customer needs, including financial availability ».

What about the latest innovations?

«I would tell you about orthokeratology (I look at him surprised). It is a technique that I have been following for more than thirty years, but it has recently been put into practice and it is not invasive. In simple terms: contact lenses are put on during the night with inverse geometries, which "crush" the cornea. During the hours of sleep the length of the eye is compensated and the next morning I no longer need to wear glasses. Of course, if I don't wear the lenses at night, the effect vanishes and myopia reappears ».

Incredible, to try, so in addition to opening new stores, you personally follow the medical profession ...

«Not only that, for this I never have time (laughs). Development is certainly a basic sector for me, also because I always want to be at the forefront… but there is another aspect that I particularly care about: that of giving emotions. I love to travel, to be inspired by big brands, by technical innovations and by beauty in general. So then I go back to the company and push towards innovation. With my team we have studied the way to emotionally involve the customer, touching all the senses. We started from sight, and then came to hearing. In our stores, those with hearing problems can find professional and personalized advice. But not only that ... we have a line of exclusive perfumes, almost impossible to find, but fantastic. And for the touch? We are launching handmade leather accessories designed specifically for our customers ».

You are a volcano. Will you never stop?

«I can't stop, it's my life…».