PANTOFOLA D'ORO

PANTOFOLA D'ORO (IT) at Lazzari Store

Pantofola d’Oro is a historic Italian brand of sports and leisure footwear. Its roots date back to 1886, in a shoemaker's workshop in Ascoli Piceno, in the Marche region. In the 1950s, the family business was passed on to his son Emidio. Emidio was not only a shoemaker but also an athlete, practicing wrestling in his spare time. It was during training and matches that he realized how inadequate the boots he was wearing were for moving around the ring. So he decided to create his own ideal wrestling shoes: soft, ergonomic, comfortable, non-slip, and made of calfskin. Other wrestlers soon noticed them, becoming his first and (already) loyal customers. Meanwhile, a footballer friend of his confided in him that the football boots in use at the time were extremely uncomfortable for running, dribbling, and kicking a ball on a football pitch. Emidio realized that his invention could prove useful not only for wrestlers but also for soccer players. Soon after, he was commissioned to handcraft custom soccer cleats for the entire Ascoli team. Master shoemaker Lazzarini's boots would be worn by champions such as Garrincha, Altafini, Bergomi, Boniperti, Capello, Di Canio, Falcao, Klinsmann, Mancini, Mazzola, Riva, Rivera, Sivori, Van Basten, Zoff... The name Pantofola d'Oro (Golden Slipper) comes from an exclamation by John Charles, Juventus's striker in the 1950s, who compared Lazzarini's boots to "slippers" because they were so soft and comfortable. From there, it was a short step to the "golden" meaning, given the exceptional quality of the footwear. Pantofola d’Oro has never stopped producing football boots, but over time it has expanded its production to include rugby shoes and, finally, casual footwear, remaining faithful to its artisanal tradition, its high and memorable quality standards, its attention to detail, and its unparalleled wearable comfort.