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The article discusses the dualist paradigm based on the mosaic of the immigrant cultures and communities present in Italy and the complexities they bring, with special reference to the case of an Italian town, Prato, where the Chinese represent a remarkable part of the local community. The Prato district demonstrates a bipolar relational capacity, because it produces both centrifugal and centripetal thrusts. Solicited by new perspectives, the district has transformed in an example of industrial localism. A series of couplets, like formal/informal, immersed/submersed, native/migrant, local/global, empty/full, work time/free time, day job/night job are analyzed to focus on complexity that the dual rapport excludes.