Considering the growing importance acquired by the intangible elements
coupled with the unprecedented prevalence of the intellectual component of goods over
their physical production, this research investigates the capacity of culture to foster
identities, strengthen communities, support businesses and propel sustainable territorial
development. Following the introductory presentation of cultural districts and clusters in
general with special attention to the Italian understanding of the concept, the paper
focuses on the dedicated program promoted by Fundazione Cariplo together with the
projects developed in this context. Two case studies are investigated in particular,
namely il Distretto Culturale dell’Oltrepò Mantovano - DOMINUS and il Distretto
culturale “Le Regge dei Gonzaga”. Despite their close location and identical legislative /
administrative framework, they started and evolved in very different ways, mainly
because of their specific endogenous conditions, but somehow reached the same main
objectives. Starting from these relevant examples evaluated from a broader
international perspective and recalling the outputs of various researches done by
Politecnico di Milano in this field, some pivotal conclusions are derived concerning the
mechanism of culture-led development, its main pitfalls and achievements.