Becoming an entrepreneur at sixty years of age, after retirement. And establishing a whole new company, above all in the south of Italy, in an sector that, like many others, was going through hard times: that of sofa and armchair manufacturing. Could an endeavour like that ever be successful? The answer is yes, and it’s the story of Piero Stano, who founded the company “Egoitaliano” in 2007. A company that has made the “Made in Italy” marking its distinctive characteristic, both in name and in substance (from raw materials to style and production location), and has made its homeland of Matera, the 2019 European Capital of Culture, its pride (with the slogan “Proud to produce in Matera”). The company grew extremely rapidly in just over ten years, even joining the ranks of the Elite programme on the Italian Stock Exchange. Today it has about fifty permanent employees, makes use of internationally renowned architects, and collaborates with nearly a dozen local workshops that employ several hundred people. Egoitaliano exports most of its sofas and armchairs, and stands out for its innovative and high-tech leather products. It’s a cutting edge story in the age-old sector of upholstered furniture… another example of successful Italian family entrepreneurship, and a sign of hope from the South of Italy.